


The Status Quo Can Change

by MemesDreamsAndBeans



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clarke hates Lexa, Drama Queen Clarke, F/F, Fine Stud Lexa, Finn is a dick, Raven and Octavia betting on sex lives, but not for long, speech and debate au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-11-17 03:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11266557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemesDreamsAndBeans/pseuds/MemesDreamsAndBeans
Summary: Clarke Griffin can't stand Lexa Woods. So it's just her luck that at the beginning of their junior year, both of their debate partners drop them and they have to work together. Featuring fine stud Lexa, constantly annoyed Clarke, and, as always, Raven prodding into sex lives. Clexa speech and debate AU!





	1. Chapter One: Breaking the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a speech and debate au, in which Clarke and Lexa have to partner up. The debate event they compete in is called Public Forum, which is the only debate event that I've never actually competed in, so if some of this seems awkward, that's why. The thing is, in Lincoln-Douglas debate, you don't have a partner, so I couldn't do that, and the only other debate event is called policy debate, and it's the worst thing that has ever been created. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please leave a comment. Feedback is always appreciated.

Chapter One

If Clarke Griffin had to choose two words to describe Lexa Woods, they would be arrogant and insufferable. So it's just her luck that both of their debate partners dropped out and they have to partner up.

"But, Kane!"

"No, Clarke, no buts. Neither of you have a partner and our first tournament is in two weeks. You're both extremely good debaters, and, in my opinion, you will benefit from this partnership. Challenge yourselves."

"I'm wounded that you think so lowly of me, Griffin," Lexa sighs from where she's spinning lazily in a desk chair. She's wearing a smirk on her face as she raises an eyebrow at Clarke. "Will it really pain you that much? It's only temporary, only until after Icebreakers when we can find replacements."

"Yes, it will really pain me that much. Don't act like you're happy about this. I know you dislike me as much as I dislike you."

"And what gives you that impression, blondie? Just because I don't think you hung the moon and the stars? Sorry 'bout that."

"Ladies," Kane says, his tone weary as he looks between the two girls, one flushed and angry, one smirking and calm. "May I remind you that I am your coach? Once again, I think this will be good for you two, who happen to be the best debaters on the team. And, as Ms. Woods says, this is temporary. You two had better find a way to get along before you're both off of the team."

Lexa stands up, shooting Kane a polite smile. "Absolutely, coach. Clarke, I'm sure we can make this work for a couple of weeks. How about we get started on our cases tomorrow? We can both read through the briefs tonight and brainstorm ideas during practice tomorrow."

"Fine," Clarke says, also standing. She glares at Lexa, who just grabs her backpack from the floor by her chair, brushing past Clarke.

"Tomorrow, blondie. Be ready!"

—

"I don't understand why you're so against this partnership, Griff. Don't you have, like, a giant lady boner for Woods anyway?"

"No, Raven! She's a dick. You have met her before, right?"

"Okay, she may be a bit... reserved," Raven admits, glancing up from her laptop screen. "But she is hot as hell. And she's a goddamn good debater."

Clarke narrows her eyes at Raven. They're sitting in the library during their lunch period, Raven finishing up a slideshow presentation for her English class. "Don't let your girlfriend hear you say that, Ray. God, why can't anyway just let me insult Woods without talking about how great she is?"

"Octavia thinks she's hot too, man. Anyway, I don't understand this whole hatred thing you got going on with her. When did she piss in your Cheerios?"

"She's just... Ugh! I can't stand her!"

"Mm. Okay, I think I see the problem here." Raven nods, tapping away on her keyboard. "You don't want to admit that you have a giant crush on Woods so you tell yourself that you hate her. Really, though, you wanna jump her bones."

"You're being the exact opposite of helpful right now. I don't even like Lexa as a friend, much less romantically."

"Mmhm. Keep telling yourself that."

"You don't understand. This is going to be hell. Partners are supposed to be able to work well together. We can't work well together if I want to punch her every time I see her stupid face."

"Dude, you're being super dramatic. It'll be fine."

"You do speech. You can't understand how hard this partnership will be."

"Whatever you say, drama queen."

Clarke lets out a frustrated groan, leaning her forehead against the cool table. She was resigned to pout in that position until Raven's voice interrupted.

"Well, speak of the devil. A sexy devil, but a devil nonetheless. Hey, Woods!"

At that, Clarke's head snaps up and she fixes Raven with a glare. "What are you doing? She's coming over here now!" Clarke hisses, looking over at the brunette, who is now approaching their table.

"Sup, Reyes? Hey, blondie. You ready to brainstorm after school?"

"Oh, she's ready," Raven interjects. "She was just telling me all about her ideas. Clarke's super excited to have you as a partner."

"Raven!"

Lexa's stupid, gorgeous face seems amused as she looks between the two friends. "I'm so glad to hear that. Griffin, I'm excited too."

"Excited to make my life a living hell," Clarke retorts, although under her breath.

"Anyway, great to see the both of you. Raven, I wanna see you perform your interp piece soon. You always pick hilarious pieces."

"Course, Woods. See you soon."

Once Lexa is gone Clarke narrows her eyes at her best friend, who has turned her attention back to her laptop.

"I can't believe you."

"I give it... two months before the two of you start fucking."

"Raven!"

—

Clarke slowly makes her way to the debate room after school, finding as many small things to distract her as she can.

First, she stops to ask Monty if he remembered what he got on number four on today's calculus quiz. It killed maybe three minutes.

Next, she stops to talk to Octavia, who just teases her about her new partnership with Lexa. So that didn't really help at all.

Finally, she makes it to the debate room and enters with a groan.

Lexa is already sitting at a computer, tapping away. Her glasses are on, although they're slipping down her nose as she looks down at the keyboard.

Coach Kane greets her with a nod. Clarke waves, reluctantly going to sit down by Lexa. The brunette finishes what she was typing before looking up at Clarke, smirk firmly in place.

"Hello, Clarke. How was your day?"

"Fine. Are you ready to start?" Clarke signs into the computer before grabbing her flash drive from her backpack.

"Absolutely. You seem rather eager."

"Yeah, the sooner we can start the better."

Lexa quickly switches into work mode as she looks back at her computer. "So I was hoping that we could discuss the pro side of the resolution first. Reading through the briefs last night wasn't really informative, but I did come up with a few ideas of my own... here, look over those." Her smirk is gone as she pushes a notebook full of neat handwriting towards Clarke.

Clarke reads through the notes, nodding at some parts and frowning at others.

"I thought about that first idea too, but I think that it's too weak. I don't like it," Clarke comments.

Lexa nods in agreement, scooting her chair closer to Clarke's. She slides the notebook closer, crossing the first idea out.

"Although, I do think the second thing is going in the right direction. I disagree with this," she says, pointing at one particular section. "But other than that, it seems relatively solid."

"Okay," Lexa murmurs, striking out the section that Clarke indicated. "It has room for improvement. I'm not completely pleased with it, but it's far ahead everything else. I would suggest that we look for evidence against this first idea. If we both thought about it, we won't be the only ones. It'll be good to be prepared to argue against that."

Clarke pulls up her own notes, typed onto the computer instead of longhand like Lexa's. "I agree. Here, look at this..."

An hour and a half flies by as the girls, engrossed in their own little world, discuss ideas and begin working on their pro case.

Lexa sits back after about another thirty minutes, removing her glasses to rub at her eyes.

"That was good, Griff. Have I convinced you that I'm not a total asshole yet? Still don't know why you think that," Lexa says, muttering the last part under her breath.

"You're okay when you're working and not being totally annoying."

"Thank you. Nicest thing you've ever said to me," Lexa grins, putting her glasses back on. "As much as I would love to continue this, I have to pick my little brother up from soccer practice. Will you be up here tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm here every day after school. Well, sometimes I skip Fridays."

Lexa stands after powering her computer down. "I know. Just checking. We have been in this same room together every weekday for two years now. Going on our third."

Clarke nods, ejecting her flash drive and powering her own computer down. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah. Don't forget about looking for evidence tonight. If you have time, I mean."

"I won't. Bye, Lexa." The taller girl slings her backpack onto her shoulder, walking towards the door.

"See ya, Clarke. Bye, Kane."

Kane waves at her, distracted by helping another debater work on something.

Okay, so maybe Lexa Woods isn't as terrible as Clarke first thought. Maybe they can get through this tournament together.

—

The next few days are spent writing rough cases and compiling evidence. Next week, Tuesday afternoon, they have a practice debate scheduled with Zoe and Harper.

"Okay, so you good to read the case?" Lexa asks as they sit at their table, their con case and a pile of evidence sitting in front of them, along with legal pads to copy the flow of the debate.

"What? No, you're speaking first," Clarke says, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No I'm not. You are."

"Um, no I am not. Reading the case is the easiest speech. I don't want to do that."

"Well, neither do I."

"One of us has to, Lexa."

"And it won't be me," she retorts. The girls sit facing each other, matching glares on their faces. Clarke crosses her arms across her chest, committing herself to this staring contest.

"You just don't trust me to give the rebuttal."

"It's not about that."

"Girls!" Kane calls, causing the two to look away from each other and up at Kane. "It doesn't matter. Lexa can speak first on pro and Clarke can speak first on con. Okay?" The girls don't answer, instead throwing more glares. Kane lowers his voice, repeating himself. "Is that okay, Clarke? Lexa?"

They both sigh, breaking their eye contact again.

"Yeah. Fine."

"Sure," Clarke says, not without sending Lexa another quick glare. So, maybe Clarke still despises Woods just a bit.

A moment later, Zoe and Harper walk into the room, laughing about something together.

They sit across from Clarke and Lexa, getting everything they need for the practice from their backpacks.

"Do you have your timer?" Clarke asks, still refusing to look Lexa in the eye.

"Yeah," Lexa replies, leaning to the side to grab it from her bag. She hands it to Clarke once she's found it, their fingers brushing gently.

Clarke promptly retracts her hand, hoping that her blush isn't too noticeable. Lexa's hands are soft and warm, which Clarke has discovered after a week of accidental touches as they were working together.

"Okay, so you guys are going con, right?" Harper asks. Lexa and Clarke both nod. "Awesome. Coin flip to see which side goes first?"

"Yeah. Kane, you got a coin?" Lexa asks, looking at their coach, who is sitting across from the two teams, ready to flow the debate and give advice to both sides.

Kane fishes a coin from his pocket. "Call it." Clarke calls tails as Kane flips the coin. "Heads. Pro goes first."

The debate goes smoothly despite Clarke and Lexa's spat before. They work well together and work off of each other's speeches and questions nicely.

Zoe and Harper's attacks on their case help to reveal weaknesses, which they agree to work on tomorrow during practice. They schedule another practice debate for Thursday.

"Hey, I'm... I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's fine, Clarke. I kinda yelled at you too."

"It's okay. Here's your timer back." Clarke holds it out. Lexa takes it, nodding as a thanks.

"Okay. I have to go pick Aden up. I'll see you tomorrow?" For one of the first times that afternoon after their glaring match, green eyes meet blue.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

—

They focus on debate work, almost never talking about anything personal except for when Lexa mentions that she's picking up her little brother.

That's fine with Clarke. Lexa still annoys her whenever they're not working. Something about her just gets on Clarke's nerves.

All too soon, their first tournament approaches and the speech and debate kids are gathering outside of the school at six in the morning, waiting for the bus.

They huddle in groups, most of them holding coffee or hot tea to help fight the October chill off. Icebreakers is always a one-day tournament, so they have to arrive already wearing their competition clothes. Which means that Clarke is shivering in her navy blue dress, waiting for Lexa to get to the school.

Finally, a car pulls up and Lexa steps out, calling a goodbye to the man in the driver's seat.

Lexa hurries over to Clarke, holding two paper cups in her hand. "Hey. You look cold."

"Yeah, I'm cold. It's thirty fucking degrees out." Clarke looks her partner up and down, although she already knows what Lexa will be wearing. A white button up with a black jacket and pants, complete with black heels.

"Which is why I got this for you. It's how you like it." Lexa hands one of the paper cups over. Clarke sips at it, sighing happily when the coffee hits her tongue.

"Thanks. This is great."

"You're welcome. Hey, could you braid my hair before we get there?"

Clarke had noticed that Lexa's hair was out of her usual intricate braids, hanging loose and curly around her shoulders.

"Yeah. You look nice, by the way."

"You do too. Here, take this. You're going to freeze your ass off," Lexa says as she unbuttons her suit jacket and shrugs out of it.

Clarke shakes her head as Lexa holds the jacket out. "No, no, that's fine. I'm fine."

"Clarke," Lexa says, her tone almost warning.

"Fine." She takes the jacket, hanging Lexa the coffee to hold as she puts it on. The jacket is warm, and as much as Clarke would hate to admit it, smells great. It smells like vanilla shampoo and the coffee that Lexa had gotten for her. (Clarke knew that Lexa would be drinking tea. You do pick some things up about a person after two years, even if you try to avoid talking to that person as much as possible.)

Lexa hands the coffee back, nodding happily. "Good. Are you nervous?"

"Not really. Excited, more like. Excited for the season to start and to see how we work together in an actual debate."

"Yeah, me too. Oh thank god, the bus is finally here."

Everyone climbs onto the bus, claiming their seats. Clarke and Lexa sit next to each other without even thinking about it. They're both so used to sitting next to their partners that they don't even consider the fact that it's a two hour long bus ride and Clarke might bite Lexa's head off.

They're silent for the first hour or so, both staring down at their phones and ignoring each other. Eventually, though, Lexa clears her throat.

She starts speaking hesitantly, her tone shy. "Could you... um..."

"Your hair?" Lexa nods. "'Course. Turn around." Lexa does as ordered, turning so her back is facing Clarke. Clarke slowly, gently runs her fingers through Lexa's brown curls. "Your hair is so soft," she mutters, not even registering that she's said it.

As Clarke brushes Lexa's hair away from her shoulders, she sees the tips of Lexa's ears, which have turned bright red.

"You're blushing."

"Uh... it would seem that way."

Clarke smiles slightly, beginning to braid small strands of Lexa's hair into something that she hopes looks like her usual intricate pattern.

Lexa's eyes had fallen closed and she was humming softly, contented, as Clarke did her hair with gentle hands.

She's almost disappointed when she feels Clarke's hands pull away and she announces that she's done.

Lexa runs a hand down her hair, softly feeling the braids and nodding in approval. "Thank you."

"No problem. You gotta look fierce and terrify our opponents into submission anyway."

"You think I look fierce?"

"Well, you get this look on your face... I can't wait to see what your annoyed face looks like during a real debate, not just a practice one."

Lexa scoffs, trying not to smile. "I don't have an annoyed face, Griffin. You have an annoyed face, though. It's the only face I ever see from you."

"Probably because you annoy the shit out of me, Woods. You act so cocky and arrogant."

"You love it when I'm cocky and arrogant, you just don't want to admit it."

Clarke scoffs this time, lightly punching Lexa's shoulder. "There we go, being cocky again. I don't love it, for the record. It's why I can't stand you."

"I dunno, you seem to have warmed up to me these past few weeks. You don't glare daggers every time we talk. Just most times."

"I only like you when we're focused on work. Then you say stuff that isn't totally stupid and annoying. You're actually smart when you're not being so full of yourself."

"Wow, now you're calling me self-centered? I can't help that I'm devastatingly beautiful, Clarke. I think you just need to accept it."

Well, she definitely has the devastatingly beautiful thing right. Wait, Clarke, no! Stop that. Lexa Woods is not beautiful. She's a dick.

"I know you're beautiful. You don't have to show off about it, though."

Goddamnit, Clarke. That was the exact wrong thing to say, you idiot!

Lexa places her hand on Clarke's forearm, dragging her fingers up and down the skin slowly and softly. "For the record, you're pretty beautiful too."

Clarke's pretty sure that her brain short-circuits. Between Lexa's hand on her arm and the compliment, Clarke flushes and the English language fails her.

"Uh... I, uh... thank you."

"Of course, Griffin. I speak nothing but the truth."

"Right." Clarke nods, turning to look out the bus window, hoping that she would be able to gather herself and keep from totally embarrassing herself.

That's apparently not an option. Lexa had removed her hand from Clarke's arm, but soon she places it low on her thigh.

"Clarke, did you get the chemistry assignment? I forgot to ask Sinclair for it." Clarke nods, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. She grabs her bag, searching through it for her chemistry binder. All the while, Lexa's fingers are tracing soft patterns on her thigh, her hand slowly moving upwards.

She finally finds it, practically shoving it at Lexa. "It's written on the first page."

"Thank you, Clarke." Lexa retrieves her hand, flipping the binder open. She copies down the assignment into her own binder before returning Clarke's back to her.

And, of course, their fingers brush together. Lexa pulls her hand back oh so slowly, although it lingers for longer than would be considered appropriate.

She knows exactly what she's doing, that asshole, Clarke thinks as she watches Lexa smirk, looking entirely too pleased with herself. Clarke can only imagine how red her face must be.

The entire bus ride is complete torture. Every twenty minutes or so Lexa finds something else to ask Clarke about, each time with lingering touches.

Clarke is flooded with relief when their head coach, Jaha, stands and announces that they'll be stopping for lunch in about five minutes.

They stop at the restaurant and the team piles out of the bus. The coaches had reservations for the team, so hopefully it would go semi-smoothly. (It never does. But, hey, no one wants to deal with a ton of grumpy, hungry teenagers.)

Soon they're seated, Octavia and Raven sitting with Clarke and Lexa. Oh, of course they're seated in a booth. And of course Lexa sits right next to Clarke, her hand resting on Clarke's knee.

The other three girls joke around with each other, laughing easily and often.

"Are you alright, Clarke? You look a bit red. Do you have a fever?" Octavia asks, looking truly concerned.

Lexa removes her hand from Clarke's knee and lifts it to rest against her forehead. "Hmm... she feels kinda hot. You need to go to the bathroom to splash some cold water on your face, Griff?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll go do that," Clarke says as she slides out of the booth. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Clarke retreats to the bathroom, splashing water on her face as suggested. She's drying her face off as she hears the bathroom door open and the telltale click of heels against tile.

"Lexa."

"You okay, Clarke?" Her voice is gentle, a slight tinge of concern in her tone. "If you want me to stop just say the word and I will."

Clarke turns around to face Lexa, shaking her head. "I'm okay. I do know exactly what you're doing, though."

"And is it unwelcome?"

"Not entirely." Clarke walks away from the counter, towards her partner. She places her hands on her shoulders, smoothing down the fabric of her shirt. "You do look really good in this shirt, Lex."

Clarke trails one finger slowly down the front of Lexa's body, smirking as Lexa's eyes grow wider. Clarke reaches the waistband of Lexa's pants, where the shirt is neatly tucked in. She traces her finger along the waistband before pressing her hand flat against Lexa's stomach.

"I'm feeling better now. I'll see you back at the table, hmm?"

Lexa nods, slightly dumbfounded. Clarke smirks at the taller girl before pulling away and walking out of the bathroom.

Lexa stares after her, reminding herself to act like nothing happened as she finally walks out of the bathroom.

—

Hands may... wander slightly underneath the table. This time it's Clarke's hand resting on Lexa's thigh. She slowly drags her fingers up and down Lexa's long legs as they order and wait for their lunch.

Lexa seems thoroughly frustrated as she flips Clarke's hand over, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together.

Octavia and Raven don't seem to notice anything, which is fortunate, because Clarke doesn't think she'd be able to handle the teasing.

Lexa let's Clarke's hand go when their food arrives. The four girls eat in relative silence.

Soon they're back on the bus, headed towards the high school. Clarke and Lexa are quickly looking over their cases together.

The list that'll tell them their speaker code is being passed around. It's handed to Clarke and Lexa, and Lexa takes it to look for their names.

Finding them, she uncaps her pen and gently takes Clarke's hand in hers. She pushes back the sleeve of her jacket, which Clarke is still wearing, and gently writes their speaker codes on her wrist, with a little L next to hers and a C next to Clarke's.

Lexa pulls the sleeve back down, capping her pen before passing the list behind them.

Kane stands up as they pull up to the high school. "Okay, rounds will already be posted. You need to get inside, find the postings, and get to your room. Is everyone ready?"

There's a ripple of positive replies to that. Clarke and Lexa share a glance and nod at each other.

"We're gonna crush it, Griff."

Clarke nods in agreement, smiling at her partner. She's honestly excited to see how they'll really work together, even if it is only temporary.

"Alright, team. Let's go win some awards!" Jaha exclaims, causing the kids to erupt in cheers. Seems like Clarke isn't the only one who's excited.

"You got your bag, Lex? Okay, great, let's go."

The girls stands and shuffle off of the bus with the rest of the team. They walk inside of the school and look for the giant crowd of kids, because that's where the postings will no doubt be.

Clarke and Lexa fight their way through the crowd and find the Public Forum postings. "Okay," Lexa murmurs, searching the page for their codes. "SS-126 and SS-127 in room 114, which should be…. Over this way."

Lexa grabs Clarke's hand and leads her through the crowd to where she thinks their room should be.

She's right, thank god, and they wait outside of the room for their opponents and the judge to show up. They don't have to wait for very long, though, as a boy and a girl approach and stand on the other side of the door.

They both look cold and rather pissed off, although they are dressed extremely well. The boy is tall, with long brown hair and a sneer on his face. Lexa recognizes the girl as Ontari, notorious asshole yet a very effective debater.

"Shit, Griff, they're Azgeda."

Azgeda, the resident pompous assholes of the state. They're closed off, only interacting with members of their own team, unlike everyone else, who socialize with the other teams and make new friends. Ruthless debaters, they almost always win first in every single event. It's the same with the speech kids.

"Goddamnit. Whatever, we'll be okay. We're going to do great."

Lexa nods, although she doesn't look convinced.

"I promise, Woods. We are going to crush them, Azgeda or not." They're speaking in whispers, causing them to lean close into each other to hear the words. "By the way… here's your jacket back."

Clarke starts to take the suit jacket off, only to be stopped by Lexa, who pushes it back onto Clarke's shoulders.

"No… keep it on. You look good, Griff."

"Alright, stop flirting with me in front of our opponents."

Lexa laughs, taking a small step back from Clarke. "Whatever you say, blondie."

Clarke smiles, shaking her head at Lexa. Lexa steps closer again, although this time they discuss what side they'll choose if they win the coin toss.

"Our con case is stronger, so it'll be easier to destroy these jokers. Would you be okay with that?" Lexa asks, reaching out to grab one of Clarke's hand with her own.

"I agree. Have you debated these guys before?"

Lexa nods. "They're rough. They work together flawlessly and they're Azgeda so they're not afraid to take risks and be assholes. We're better though, Clarke."

"I'm nervous. This is our first official debate together and we get Azgeda kids."

Lexa squeezes her partner's hand gently. "Clarke, if you're not nervous, there's something wrong with you. It's okay to be nervous, just turn that nervous energy into confidence. We are going to get into this round and we are going to be fine. Even if we lose, this is just Icebreakers. We have all season to improve."

"Right. Okay. Thank you, Lex."

"Of course. Hey, this must be our judge." They each take a small step away from each other as a tall, bald man approaches.

He doesn't say anything, just opens the door and walks inside, barely glancing at the four teenagers.

The Azgeda team goes in first, then Clarke and Lexa. Clarke and the Azgeda boy both prep their work spaces, pushing two desks together. The boy pulls a desk in-between the two makeshift tables to serve as a podium.

Lexa writes their names and their respective speaker codes on the whiteboard before sitting next to Clarke. She had their binder of evidence and two copies of both cases pulled out.

The judge finally speaks, after having settled at a desk of his own. "We decide who goes first with a coin toss, correct?"

Ontari answers him. "Yes, the winner either chooses which side to present or whether they want to speak first or second."

He nods, pulling a wallet out of his pants pocket. He retrieves a quarter and looks over the four of them before pointing at Lexa. "You, call it."

Lexa glances at Clarke, who shrugs. "Tails," she decides, looking back to the judge as he flips the coin. It lands on the desk and he announces that it's heads, so the other team gets to choose.

Thankfully, they choose to go pro, which leaves Clarke and Lexa's plan intact. Lexa chooses that the con side will speak first.

Lexa rubs Clarke's thigh gently before she stands with the case and the timer. The touch, unlike the others that had occurred that day, wasn't teasing, but reassuring.

Clarke stands at the desk, setting the timer. "My name is Clarke, speaker code SS-126. I have four minutes on my timer, if my judge is ready? My opponents?" She waits for nods from the judge and her opponents. "Okay. I will start… now."

—

"You did a great job," Lexa says, an extremely fake smile plastered across her face as she shakes hands with Roan and Ontari. They say similar pleasantries, also shaking Clarke's hand.

They each shake the judge's hand, who assures them that it was a pleasure to watch them debate.

Clarke gathers up all of their stuff, waiting by the door for Lexa. She joins Clarke a moment later and they walk out together.

Once they're sure that they're out of earshot, Lexa groans. "I hate them. I hate them both. I swear to god that fucking Man Bun didn't listen to a single goddamn word that I said. Yes, I did address your fucking attacks, no, I did not drop them."

"I know, right? And they were total assholes during crossfire. That's what I expected though, fucking Azgeda."

They walk back towards the cafeteria, where all the teams will be gathered. They complain about their debate until they find the table that the Polis kids had claimed.

They sit down at the table, which is still mostly empty as quite a few of their other teammates are still at rounds.

"We did good, though. You handled the crossfire questions really well. Man Bun seemed frustrated when you didn't answer the way he wanted you too."

"Thanks, Griff. You did really well too. I'm proud of us."

"I'm proud of us too. Are you gonna actually work on your homework or just screw around the entire tournament?"

Lexa laughs lightly, shrugging. "Probably screw around, but if you want to work on the assignments we both have, we could do that."

Clarke pretends to contemplate for a moment before answering. "Nah, homework is meant to be ignored. Do you want some pop tarts?"

Lexa raises one eyebrow at Clarke. "Have you been keeping pop tarts in our bag? You know, the one with all of our evidence and our cases and everything?"

She grabs the bag from the table and digs around in it until she finds her pop tarts. "Yes. They're strawberry."

The brunette stares at her partner for a long moment before sighing. "You know what? I would love a pop tart."

Grinning, Clarke opens the wrapper and hands one of the pop tarts to Lexa.

They sit quietly, eating their pastries. Lexa breaks hers into smaller pieces while Clarke just bites into it.

"Hey, Griff, look. It's baby Trump."

"I still don't understand what he did to deserve that nickname. Hayden's a nice dude."

They look a few tables away to where a short, blonde boy sits. He's talking to a teammate animatedly, making wild hand gestures.

"His hair, mostly. He also hates Trump, like, a lot, so it amuses us."

Clarke rolls her eyes. "Alrighty. How long do you think it'll be before they post? I'm already impatient."

"You've been to tournaments before. You know it's going to get disastrously off of schedule and we'll have to wait another two hours just for them to tabulate the results. So we might have to wait a while."

The blonde leans forward, her forehead resting on the table. She groans, sounding utterly annoyed. "But I'm bored."

"What, my company isn't good enough for you? I know I annoy you, but wow. You're rather impatient, Clarke."

She doesn't reply, choosing instead to close her eyes. Lexa places her hand low on Clarke's back, rubbing gently.

Clarke sighs, scooting just a bit closer to her partner on the bench. Clarke wraps her arm around Lexa's waist, pressing her hand softly into Lexa's stomach.

So, maybe Clarke is slightly less bored. Just slightly. She lifts her head to look at Lexa, whose expression is amused.

"Still bored, Lex."

Lexa leans close to Clarke, whispering to her. "Well, we should see if we can fix that, hmm?" Her lips gently brush against Clarke's ear as she speaks.

"That is a terrific idea. How much time do you think we actually have?"

"Most of the rounds aren't even over yet. I'd give it another… thirty minutes for everything to finish, another hour for them to tab everything."

"Yeah, that'll be enough time." Clarke grabs their bag, stowing it underneath the table. She stands, grabbing Lexa's hand and pulling her out of the cafeteria.

Clarke drags Lexa to the stairs and they start climbing to the higher floors, where, hopefully, less people are hanging around.

"Jesus Christ, Clarke, why do we need to go all the way to the fucking fifth floor? What kind of a school has five floors?"

"It'll be quieter up there," Clarke replies, trying not to sound like she's completely out of breath. They take a break on the third floor, where they can hear a lot of yelling from a classroom.

"Must be dramatic interp," Lexa says. She's probably right, since the yelling is punctuated with loud fake sobbing and… just plain screaming. Dramatic interp really lives up to its name.

They continue on up the stairs of hell after having caught their breaths.

Once on the fifth floor, they find everything to be quiet and dark.

"So, are we breaking into a classroom?" Lexa asks, slightly out of breath yet again.

"Eh, it's not breaking in if the classroom is already open. They're probably all open just in case they're needed."

Lexa nods, pulling Clarke to the nearest classroom. They check the door, silently celebrating when it opens easily.

Clarke pulls Lexa inside, kicking the door shut.

They spend a long moment staring at each other before Lexa pulls Clarke close to her, placing her hands on Clarke's hips.

She turns so Clarke's back is to the door, slowly walking her backwards to press her against the door.

They stare into each other's eyes, Clarke slowly lifting her arms to drape them around Lexa's shoulders. She locks her hands together and rests them against the back of Lexa's neck.

Clarke grins, pulling Lexa closer. Their bodies are pressed together, their lips mere inches apart.

Lexa giggles. Actually giggles, which makes Clarke giggle.

"God, I cannot believe you just made that noise. A giggle from Lexa Woods? I think the world is ending."

"Oh, shut up, Griff." Their giggles slowly subside, but they're both grinning and the laughter is still dancing in their eyes.

"Hmm, I could do that. If you make me."

And then Lexa's lips are pressing against Clarke's, insistent and firm, but her lips are so soft and Clarke melts against Lexa.

They kiss for what seems to be an eternity before one of them finally pulls back for air. They are again staring at each other, slow smiles forming on both of their lips.

And when Lexa's eyes flick down to Clarke's lips again, Clarke slowly slides one hand down Lexa's back until she finds the small of it.

She pulls Lexa back into her, their lips meeting again and again and they can't possibly get enough of each other.

Lexa pushes the jacket off of Clarke's shoulders gently, wanting to get closer to the shorter girl.

Clarke rests a hand on the side of Lexa's neck, running her fingers lightly over the smooth skin.

Lexa pulls away from Clarke's lips, not before giving her bottom lip a quick nip.

Yet again, Lexa is backing Clarke up, this time towards the table in front of them. Once there, Lexa quickly lifts her partner up, setting her on the tabletop. Clarke wraps her legs around Lexa's waist to pull her closer.

Blue meets green and they both see desire and, perhaps more surprisingly, affection. Lexa brushes a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear, her touch feather light.

"I thought you hated me."

"The status quo can change. Although, you are annoying."

"And why do you think that?"

Clarke hesitates for a moment, looking down at the ground to avoid Lexa's eyes. "You've always been better than me at everything. And… sometimes I just feel like I'll never be as good as you no matter how hard I work. And it annoys me."

Lexa gently lifts Clarke's chin so she has to look her in the eyes. "Clarke, no. That's not true. I've always admired how hard you work and I've always known how great you are. Clarke, look at me. I'm telling the truth, I promise you."

"Really?"

"Of course. Besides, we're working together now. We can help each other be better than we already are. We can also do… other things with each other." Lexa slowly runs her thumb over Clarke's lower lip.

Clarke closes her eyes and leans into Lexa. "Like the other things that we were doing just a moment ago?" She murmurs against Lexa's finger.

"Oh, Clarke, that was just a sample of the other things."

"I think I can work with that. Maybe this partnership shouldn't be so temporary."

She receives a firm kiss as an answer.

Clarke pulls away just a few centimeters to whisper to Lexa. "You taste like pop tarts." Lexa shuts her up with another kiss.

—

Lexa's shirt is unbuttoned and untucked when a sudden buzzing startles the two apart.

"Christ, Lex, your leg is buzzing."

She pulls her phone, which is the source of the buzzing, from her pants pocket. She quickly reads something, trying to smooth her hair down with her other hand.

Reyes (5:37 PM)- Where r you and blondie? Dude, they're posting in like five minutes.

"Shit," she murmurs, shoving her phone back into her pocket.

"Lex? What's wrong?"

"We lost track of time. They're posting in five minutes, according to Raven. We gotta go."

Clarke hops off of the table, reaching out to button Lexa's shirt. Lexa tucks it in as Clarke retrieves her stolen jacket from the floor, pulling it on.

"My phone is in our bag. She's going to be pissed that I didn't see anything she sent me."

"Probably. Fix your hair, babe."

Clarke pauses for a moment at the pet name, a grin spreading across her face. Lexa is too busy straightening her clothes and fixing her own hair to notice.

She smooths her blonde hair down, which had gotten a bit messy from their… activities.

Lexa strides towards the door, grabbing Clarke's hand along the way. They leave the classroom and hurry down the stairs, which thankfully doesn't take as long as going up them did.

"You go grab our bag, I'm gonna go see if they've posted for PF yet," Lexa says, finally releasing Clarke's hand from her grip.

Clarke walks to the cafeteria, praying that she wouldn't run into Raven along the way.

She's not that lucky, because of course she isn't.

Raven is standing at the Polis table, her arms crossed and an impatient expression on her face. Clarke smiles sheepishly as she reaches under the table to grab their bag.

"So, Clarke, where were you and Woods?"

"Oh, you know, just exploring the school a bit. We let time get away from us. I didn't have my phone."

At that moment, Lexa comes up to Clarke, speaking quickly. "Okay, so I got our room number. We have a little bit before it starts though- oh, hi Raven."

"Lexa," Raven nods at her, doing a quick once over of the brunette. She apparently finds something she disapproves of, as she raises one eyebrow. "I think you guys may have been exploring more than just the school. Lexa, your shirt is buttoned wrong."

"Clarke!" She hisses, quickly unbuttoning her shirt and buttoning it correctly.

"I'm sorry! I was hurrying," she whispers back, although none of it escapes Raven.

"Mhm. That's exactly what I thought. Octavia and I have a bet, so I need to know if you screwed."

"No! Oh my god, Raven, we're leaving. We can discuss this later," Clarke says, her face growing red. "Lexa, we're leaving."

"Okay. Um, babe, it's the other way," she says as Clarke pulls her in a random direction. Clarke changes course and pulls them the other way.

—

Two debates later, Clarke and Lexa are sitting at the Polis table across from Raven. They look everywhere but at Raven, who forced them to sit down to explain themselves.

"So. What's going on… here?" She waves a hand between the two girls.

"Well, I, um… I don't really know?" Lexa starts.

"Good job, Lex. Very eloquent." Clarke sighs, reaching out to take Lexa's hand to assure her that she's not actually upset. "Look, I don't know what this is exactly, because it's an extremely new development."

"I thought you hated her."

"Well… not really. I mean, she is super hot."

"Told you."

"Yes, you did. Point is, this is new and kind of unexpected but I also kinda really like it."

Raven nods, turning her gaze onto Lexa. "You."

"Me?"

"Yes, Woods, you. I swear to all that is good and holy, I will harm you if you screw this up." A grin slowly grows on her face. "Not 'cause Griff is my best friend, just 'cause you two make a really fucking hot couple. I'll leave you gal pals to your homework or whatever the hell this is."

She stands and strides away, out of sight.

"Well, that certainly was interesting," Lexa remarks, fiddling with the edge of her chemistry book. "Do you… want to, like, label this? Whatever this is that we're doing?"

"Maybe not just right now. We have time to do that. For now, we're just… partners. We are partners."

"Right. I can roll with that. We will talk about this in the future, though. I kinda like this. And you."

"I completely agree, partner."

"Don't start talking in a southern accent now."

"No promises, Lex."

—

They're both tired and annoyed by the end of their fifth round. During normal tournaments, which are held for two days, they have three rounds the first day and a guaranteed two the next day, along with the various finals rounds.

But, of course, Icebreakers is held on one day, so they have to pack five preliminary rounds and four out rounds into one day. And it is hell.

They're both sitting at their table, although Clarke is slumped against Lexa and is almost asleep.

She's startled out of her light rest when somebody shouts 'postings' as loud as they possibly can.

"Oh, fuck me," she grumbles, lifting her head off of Lexa's shoulder. Lexa refrains from making some snarky comment at that. "Is it bad of me to hope that we didn't break so we don't have to go to anymore goddamn rounds?"

"No, because I'm hoping the same thing. I forgot that Icebreakers feels like the seventh circle of hell."

They make their way to the postings area, which is slightly less packed than usual. (So, it's still comparable to a mosh pit. Lexa glares at more than one person after they shove past Clarke.)

Standing in front of the PF list, they both quickly scan it.

"Fuck my life. Fuck everything. I wish for the sweet sweet release of death."

"Chill, Clarke. At least we aren't up against Azgeda…" Because of their early debate with Roan and Ontari, they recognize the Azgeda speaker code. Thankfully, they haven't had to debate any of the dicks from that school again.

"I think that HH is Mount Weather."

"So, we will have an easy octofinal round. We'll move onto quarterfinals, and then it doesn't matter if we win or lose, we'll be guaranteed to place."

"But I wanna sleep."

"On me or with me?"

"Shut your mouth. We have a debate to get to, Lex."

"Sadly."

—

"I hate everything."

"It wasn't that bad, Lex. You did so good. I'm so proud of you."

"No, I totally screwed it up! Oh my god, I ruined it." Lexa stands with her forehead against the wall, groaning loudly. Following their debate with the Mount Weather kids, they had found a quiet, out of the way corner to talk.

Clarke sighs quietly, moving to stand behind Lexa. She wraps her arms around Lexa's waist, resting her chin on her partner's shoulder.

Clarke places a gentle kiss on the spot where Lexa's jaw and neck meet. "Baby," she murmurs against smooth skin. "You were so good. You crushed that stupid kid with his awful haircut and that name. Who names their kid Cage?"

"Dante Wallace."

"…oh. Well, who cares. Just because his dad is some big shot coach doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything. Clarke, I'm so sorry. I messed up."

"Shh," Clarke whispers, pressing another kiss to Lexa's neck. "They'll post really soon and when we see that we have a quarterfinals round, I'll be able to say I told you so. Turn around, baby."

Lexa does as Clarke says, turning in her arms. She's staring at the ground, but Clarke can see that her expression is apologetic and crestfallen.

Clarke lifts her chin, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. Lexa melts into it, much like Clarke had melted into their kiss earlier.

They eventually part from the kiss, pressing their foreheads together. "It's okay. We are doing absolutely great. Kane was right, we are benefiting from this partnership."

Lexa snorts, her face growing slightly red. "Partners with benefits, huh?"

"Something like that," Clarke replies, shrugging. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes, god yes." Lexa thinks it's cute that Clarke asks, smiling as she leans forward to capture Clarke's lips with her own. Consent is sexy, after all.

Being more conscious about their time, they only kiss for a few moments before reluctantly pulling apart. They make their way back to the cafeteria so they'll know right away when postings are up.

They sit at the same place they did before, although neither of them are in the mood to do any more homework.

So they quietly sit together, Clarke scrolling through her phone as Lexa half listens to the conversation that Murphy and Emori are currently having.

And when a coach yells postings at the top of his lungs, they both sigh but get up anyway. They make their way to the lists, finding the public forum one.

They're proud, yet somewhat annoyed when they find their speaker codes. They aren't up against Azgeda again, which is great. However, three of the eight teams that broke to quarterfinals are from Azgeda.

Clarke and Lexa make their way to their room, waiting outside for the three judges to show and for hell to begin for the seventh time.

—

They make it all the way to semifinals before they lose. They were up against Azgeda, through, so the loss was understandable.

As it turns out, Azgeda won all of the semifinal rounds in all of the forms of debate, so there was no need for a finals round. Teams from the same school cannot compete against each other, so debate is done for the day.

Everyone is waiting for speech rounds to be done, then they'll move straight on to the awards ceremony.

Clarke and Lexa are both asleep at the Polis table, slumped against each other. Needless to say, the girls are both exhausted. It's already midnight, and the awards ceremony will take another thirty minutes. They'll get out of here by one o'clock at the earliest, and it's still a two hour bus drive home.

Clarke's head is resting on Lexa's shoulder and Lexa has one arm wound around Clarke's waist, pulling her close.

Harper and Zoe are sitting across from them, giggling quietly and taking pictures of the two to use as teasing material. (In the future, it turns out not to annoy the girls. Rather, they both think it's kind of adorable and Lexa has them send the pictures to her. They both secretly change their phone's home screen to one of the pictures.)

Clarke slowly wakes up, turning her head slightly to look at Lexa. She's still fast asleep, little wisps of her hair escaping from the braids that Clarke had made hours earlier. She studies her partner, smiling sleepily. Lexa really is gorgeous, especially when she's asleep. She looks so content and happy.

Clarke puts her head back down on Lexa's shoulder, cuddling closer into her warm side.

Eventually, they're both woken when Kane softly taps their shoulders. He's smiling, kneeling in front of them. "Wake up, girls. The awards ceremony is about to start and my star debaters need to be up on that stage."

They reluctantly get up from their insanely comfortable spots, both rather proud at the fact that Kane called them stars.

The entire team shuffles to the auditorium, claiming seats that are as close to the exit as possible.

Debate events go first, starting with Lincoln Douglas and novice LD. It goes pretty fast, because everyone wants to leave as soon as possible.

"Novice Lincoln Douglas debate on stage, Public Forum debate on deck," the announcer says. Clarke and Lexa stand up, walking down to the front of the auditorium to stand off to the side.

They hold hands, too tired to even give it a second thought. They wait patiently (sort of) for their event to be called to the stage.

Finally, it is, and the top eight teams take their places on the stage. Clarke and Lexa listen anxiously for their names, their hands still clasped together.

"And in third place, Lexa Woods and Clarke Griffin from Polis High School." The team stands from their spot in the crowd, cheering and clapping. Clarke and Lexa accept their awards, a medal and a certificate. They turn to each other and hug tightly.

"We did good, babe," Lexa whispers in Clarke's ear, her arms securely wrapped around Clarke's waist.

"I told you so."

"You did," Lexa agrees as she pulls back. They start paying attention again just in time to hear the first place winners being announced.

Of course, it's Roan and Ontari from Azgeda High.

It annoys Clarke and Lexa, because Azgeda kids are total assholes. They're also triumphant at their high rank, though.

They leave the stage, and as they walk back to their seats, they get multiple congratulations from teams all around the state.

The entire team is ecstatic, giving the girls high fives and words of congratulations.

Clarke and Lexa try to pay attention to the awards ceremony, but they don't do a very good job. They clap at the necessary times, but they're too wiped out to do much else.

When awards ends, there's a flood of teenagers leaving the auditorium. Keeping up with their reputation, Polis is the first to make it out of the auditorium and onto the bus.

Clarke and Lexa collapse into their seat together, resuming their earlier cuddled up position.

They quickly fall asleep, both of them comfortable and happy. More pictures are taken, but this time Octavia is the one taking them.

Every year, she's tasked with creating the end of the year video, which contains all of the highlights from the season. She speculates that Clarke and Lexa will be appearing quite frequently this year.

They manage to sleep peacefully the entire bus ride back home. As they pull into the school's parking lot, Raven claps her hands next to their heads.

They startle awake, both of them sending Raven death glares.

They get off of the bus, yawning and stretching.

Kane comes up to them, giving the two girls quick hugs. "I told you this would be a great partnership. Are you two still planning to look for new partners?"

Clarke is the one who answers. "Nah, I think we'll work together a bit longer."

Coach Kane is pleased, leaving them both with a goodbye and another congratulation.

They both quickly call their parents, trying to fight off yawns.

When the phone calls are over, they gravitate back to each other. Clarke drapes her arms around Lexa's shoulders.

"Hi, baby. I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too. You worked so hard, Clarke, and you did amazing." Clarke smiles slowly at the words of praise, which seem to mean so much more when they're coming from Lexa.

"Thank you, Lex. Will you text me when you get home? I'll worry."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll text you, though. Can't stay up, though, we both need to rest and re-energize."

"I know. Gimme a kiss before you have to go."

"We're in front of the entire team."

"I don't care. I expect a goodnight kiss."

Clarke gets her goodnight kiss, ignoring the fact that it's messy and uncoordinated because of their mutual exhaustion. She still thinks it's pretty great.

They pull away, wrapping each other in an embrace instead. After a few minutes, Clarke sadly pulls away.

"My dad's here, baby." Lexa sighs, but nods. "Before I forget… here's your jacket back. Thank you for letting me wear it."

"Of course. Don't forget to text me," Lexa calls as Clarke walks away from her. She looks back over her shoulder and smiles, waving quickly.

When Clarke gets back home, she quickly undresses, collapsing into her bed.

She grabs her phone, typing out a message.

Clarke Griffer (3:47 AM)- I'm home. You better get home safe. I'm so so tired so I'll probably sleep until Sunday night. Get some sleep, baby. Sweet dreams. (I know that you'll make an appearance in my dreams.)

She doesn't wait for a reply, closing her eyes and slipping off to sleep almost as soon as the message is sent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw I have like zero patience for editing and everything is written on my phone, so PLEASE forgive all of my stupid spelling mistakes and things that seem off. I apologize and I will eventually get my head out of my ass and edit before posting


	2. Into Azgeda: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team heads out to the second tournament of the season, which, to Clarke's dismay, takes place in Azgeda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unedited and mostly written late at night. Please forgive any mistakes I've made. Comments and kudos are always appreciated so I know what I'm doing right or wrong. Read on and enjoy!

Chapter Two

“Babe, babe. Wait just a sec- oh.” Lexa gasps, her eyes slamming shut. Clarke’s lips at her neck quickly took precedence over whatever she had been about to say.

She’s only able to focus when Clarke pulls back slightly, running her thumb over the spot she had been kissing.

“Clarke. Babe, we should really start studying. You know how hard Sinclair’s tests are.” The girls are in Clarke's room, on her bed. Clarke rolls her eyes, sitting back. Of course, she’s on top of Lexa, so sitting back is kind of just straddling her.

Lexa sits up, wrapping an arm around Clarke’s waist. “Clarke, stop pouting. We just have to study for a little bit, then we can get back to this.”

“Only if you promise that we can continue later,” Clarke says, crossing her arms. Lexa smiles, kissing the tip of Clarke’s nose gently.

“Yes, of course we can. Time to move your ass, now.” Clarke gets off of Lexa, grabbing their backpacks from the floor. She hands Lexa hers.

They find their chemistry books, flipping to the page that the chapter starts on. 

“Wait, Lex. I have an idea.” 

Lexa raises one eyebrow at Clarke, nodding slightly. “Okay. What is this idea?”

“You made flash cards from the study guide, right?”

“Of course I did. I always make flash cards, you know that.” She grabs her backpack again, finding her binder. She flips it open, grabbing her stack of flash cards from the front pocket.

She hands them to Clarke, who takes the rubber band off and flips through the cards. “Perfect. Ready to hear my idea?”

“Of course.” She leans back on her hand, watching as Clarke points the stack of cards at her.

“Okay. We each take half of the stack,” Clarke starts, shuffling the cards before she splits it in half and hands one half to Lexa. “And we quiz each other.”

“Okay, so your idea is using my notecards instead of reading through the chapter?” Lexa chuckles, flipping one of her cards to the back to look at the answer.

Clarke points her cards back at Lexa. “And that is where the special Clarke twist comes in. Strip study.”

“As in you want to take your clothes off?”

“As in, if one of us gets a question wrong, we take a piece of clothing off.”

Lexa stares at Clarke for a moment, before shaking her head with a grin on her face. “Yeah, sure. I'll have you know that I've gone over these cards, like, ten times in the past three days. You're going to lose.”

“We’ll just have to see about that.”

—

Thirty minutes later, the girls have gone through the cards and Clarke is sitting there in her underwear. Lexa is still fully dressed.

“I told you, Clarke. By the way, cute bra.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. You wanna go over the cards you got wrong?”

Clarke shrugs. “Not really. There are much better things that we could be doing. I am, like, already mostly naked.”

Lexa rolls her eyes, placing her hand on the back of Clarke’s neck. “You are insatiable.” She pulls her hand back, standing from the bed. “C’mon, put your clothes back on.”

“What? Where are you going? Are you telling me that I had to do all this chemistry crap for no reason?”

“There was a reason. We have to study for the test. Now let's go, we’re going out.”

“Out?”

“Yes, out. It's Saturday, we’re together, and it’s going to be one of the last nice days of the year. It’s November and we have some time to relax, which we should take.” Lexa grabs Clarke’s hands, pulling her up. She wraps her arms around Clarke’s waist, swaying them to the quiet music playing from Clarke’s phone. 

“Where are we going?”

“I don't know. Maybe we could go get some lunch,” Lexa suggest, spinning Clarke around so her back is to Lexa’s front. She rests her chin on Clarke’s shoulder, kissing her jaw softly. “What do you think?”

“I think that sounds great, baby. I also think that it sounds an awful lot like you're trying to take me on a date, Lexa Woods.” 

“And if I am, what would you say?”

“I’d say that I would love to go on a date with you.”

“Perfect. Let's go then, shall we?”

—

The girls sit across from each other in a small café, Lexa sipping at a cup of tea.

“So, Clarke, tell me about yourself.”

“Baby, we’ve known each other for two years. 

“And you hated me during those two years. We talked about three times throughout those two years. I may know a bit about you, but I really don't know very much.”

Clarke stirs her coffee, adding a bit more cream to it. “I see your point. First, tell me what you know about me already.”

“You like your coffee with just a little bit of sugar and a lot of cream. In the morning you either eat waffles- they have to be blueberry, and they have to be drowning in syrup- or Fruit Loops. For someone who eats so poorly, you're incredibly fit. And that's because you get up early and go for a run.”

“You do too. I’d always go in the opposite direction from you because I didn't want to look at you. Although, you’d always be out longer than me.”

“True. Hey, maybe now we can go running together in the mornings during tournaments. Unless you wanna keep acting like you hate me around the team.”

“We kissed each other in front of them after Icebreakers. And I've been, like, nice to you around school. We’ve been talking, and not just when we’re working. Kane knows for sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kane is always in the debate room. Whenever you’re being all smiley and giving me those heart eyes, he notices.”

“I am not the one with the heart eyes! The way you look at me is so sickeningly sweet. About as sweet as those damn waffles you eat.”

“You're a complete bitch, Lex.” Clarke rolls her eyes, looking down at her menu. “Oh, hey, look. They have all day breakfast. And blueberry waffles!”

“Oh, really?” Lexa leans over to look at where Clarke is pointing. “You get that, you'll die a sugary death.”  
Clarke chuckles, closing her menu. (Lexa had decided what she wants five minutes ago. Clarke just got distracted from looking at the menu. By Lexa, of course.)

Their order is taken a few moments later. Lexa nudges Clarke’s foot under the table with her own. “So, next week. Are you excited?”

“God, no. We’re going to Azgeda, Lex. That entire trip is going to be a soul-sucking pit of despair.”

Lexa scoffs, leaning back in her chair. “You're the biggest drama queen I have ever met. It won't be that bad. I know it’s in Azgeda, but that doesn't mean we’ll debate against a ton of Azgeda kids. Besides, we’ll get to sleep in the same bed.”

“Do you really think they’ll room us together?”

“They always room partners together, Clarke. Well, partners of the same gender. You know what I mean.”

“Even if those partners are…”

“Dating?” They still had yet to label their relationship, but they both know that they like each other. Quite a lot, to be honest.

Clarke nods. “Yeah. I mean, if dating sounds good to you.” Lexa nods. “I don't think that they would keep us together in a room if they know that something’s going on. Kane knows, and he handles the room assignments.”

“Dude, Kane is our biggest fan. I'm pretty sure he forced us to partner so we would talk to each other and realize that we have absolutely terrific chemistry together. Besides, it's not like we could get pregnant together.”

“You make a fair point, but I still think they’ll split us up.”

Lexa shakes her head. “I disagree. Also, we wouldn't be able to do anything. We’ll be roomed with two other girls who will be in the room almost every minute that we are.”

Their food comes and Clarke pours a massive amount of syrup over her waffles before continuing the conversation. “We’ll just have to see. Your salad looks weird.”

Lexa shoots her a confused glance. “Um, it looks like a pile of lettuce and various vegetables. And chicken. What's weird about it?”

“Everything that you just said. It's too healthy.”

“It's not too healthy, you just eat like a four year old with a bad sweet tooth.”

Clarke laughs, stabbing a piece of waffle and holding it out to Lexa. “It has blueberries, therefore, it is healthy. And I'll have you know that I refused to eat stuff that was really sugary until I was, like, seven.”

“Ah, mom and dad Griffin were spared the cranky five year old coming off of a sugar high. I was never super sugar obsessed either, but Aden was always really bad. He still is.”

“Is Aden anything like you?”

Lexa shrugs. “Well, not really. Some of the ways we act are the same, because we grew up together in the same house, but we were both adopted, so we don't look alike or anything.”

“I had no idea that you were adopted.”

“Yeah, most people don't. I was adopted when I was really, really young, about three years old. I don't remember anything about my birth parents. Indra and Gustus raised me and loved me. They're my mother and father even if we aren’t related by blood.”

Clarke watches Lexa speak, smiling softly at her.

“What's with the heart eyes, Griff?”

“You're just really adorable. I'm kinda lucky that Kane insisted that we partner up.”

Lexa smiles shyly, gazing down at the table. “I'm not adorable.”

Clarke rolls her eyes before reaching over to take one of Lexa’s hands. “Lexa, baby, I know you think you're all scary and intimidating or whatever, but you're really a giant softie. It's pretty cute.”

“They don't call me the Commander because I'm a softie, Clarke. I'm not cute or adorable. I am a badass.”

Oh right, the infamous Commander nickname. “Lex, I'm sorry to break it to you, but Anya started calling you that as a joke.” The nickname started during their freshman year, when Lexa was so unsure of everything she was doing. She would worry for hours about whether she was ready to compete or not, so the captain that year, Anya, took to calling her the Commander. 

“It wasn't a joke! Anya said that I had to think like a commander to be confident in myself and my abilities.”

Although Lexa was worried about her chance at success, she always did fairly well. Clarke never managed to compete very well, up until later in their sophomore year. She was perpetually jealous over how good Lexa is at everything.

“It was kind of a joke, baby. She called you that because of how much you worried. You were really the opposite of a commander.”

Lexa crosses her arms, glaring at Clarke. “And you say that I’m the annoying one. My nickname is totally cool.”

“Oh my god, Lex. I thought I was the drama queen. Yes, your nickname is cool. Now finish your health bowl.”

They finish their lunches and pay before leaving.

“Where to next, Lex?” Clarke asks, grabbing Lexa’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

“Next is… I don't know. Let's just walk a bit. I didn't have a date all planned out. It was a spur of the moment kinda thing.”

“We could get matching tattoos. On our necks, probably.” Clarke points at a tattoo shop, grinning.

“Or we could not do that. You don't seem like someone who would get a neck tattoo.” Lexa laughs, pulling them away from the tattoo place.

“Do you want any tattoos, Lex?”

“I would love some. My dad does tattoos sometimes and he said that he’ll give me one when I turn seventeen.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“July. Your birthday is in October, right?”

“Yeah, it was just before the tournament. When I still hated you, so it's okay that you didn't get me a gift.”

“I wholeheartedly apologize. I'll make it up to you next year.”

“I'll be expecting something that is truly extravagant. Last year the tournament was on my birthday, so that really sucked.”

Lexa hums softly, nodding. “That would be terrible. Hey, at least you got Dairy Queen for your birthday dinner.”

“That cashier was so pissed at us.”

“Hey, it's not our fault that Mount Weather came with their big-ass team. We were there first. She had no reason to be so passive-aggressive towards us.”

“She kinda did. Remember, she was bitchy to Anya, so we all placed really complicated orders. We were dicks.”

“Oh, right. Reyes kept going up to her to complain that stuff wasn't right or she didn't get part of her order. She conned her way into a free sundae.”

Clarke laughs, recalling her best friend’s look of satisfaction when she came back to their table with her ice cream.

“I'm still convinced that the cashier gave the sundae to Raven so she would fuck off.”

“Definitely. Raven can be extremely manipulative sometimes.”

“Baby, you've met yourself, right? You've met me? Our entire event is about manipulating people into getting them to say what you want them to. If you think that Raven is manipulative, you need to pay more attention in our debates.”

Lexa shrugs, pointing at a dog with his front paws on the fence, barking excitedly. “Look, dog. And everything you said is very true. But I don't manipulate my way into free ice cream.”

They stop to pet the dog, who is completely overjoyed and licks their hands as much as he can. “You manipulated your way into making me like you.”

“I literally did not do anything. You just realized that I'm hot and that you want to kiss me all the time.”

Clarke, rolls her eyes, patting the dog’s head one last time before they move on. “I always knew that you were hot.”

“Of course you did. I do, after all, have arms like a Greek goddess.”

“Oh my god, did Raven tell you that I said that? I was exhausted, I didn't know what I was saying!”

“She might have told me, she might not have. I know you like my arms anyway. And other things, but we can talk about that later. Let’s focus on how much you appreciate it when I wear button ups and push the sleeves up.”

“I can’t stand you.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

—

Clarke takes the paper cup from her girlfriend’s hand, sipping at the coffee gratefully. “Finally. Oh, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Clarke, but we did talk to each other before we went to sleep last night.” Lexa grins, setting her suitcase down next to Clarke’s.

Clarke pushes at her shoulder before returning her attention to her coffee cup. “I wasn't talking to you, Woods. I was talking to this sweet, sweet caffeine that will keep me running for the next few hours.”

“Aw, so you didn't miss me?” Lexa pouts at Clarke, slinging an arm across her shoulder to pull her closer. “Because I missed you quite a lot. It was unfair to hang up on me the way you did yesterday.”

“Fine, I missed you too.” Clarke smiles, planting a kiss on Lexa’s cheek. “Thank you for the coffee. Although, I do continue to believe that hanging up on you yesterday was completely fair.”

“But it was just getting good, babe.”

Clarke sips at her coffee again, refraining from rolling her eyes at Lexa. “You only like me because I watch Netflix when we FaceTime.”

“You have really good taste in shows and I don't have Netflix. C’mon, you hung up on me right when it was getting interesting.”

“I'm sorry. We can have a Netflix date sometime soon, okay?”

“Knowing you, that Netflix date will quickly turn into Netflix and chill,” Lexa scoffs.

“That is so not true! It’ll just be us, cuddling on the couch with snacks. No chilling required.”

“You're constantly trying to get into my pants. I have never met someone with a higher sex drive than you.”

“Can you blame me? You're gorgeous. And those abs…” Clarke trails off, pressing her hand into Lexa’s stomach.

It's at this moment that Raven arrives at the school and comes practically sprinting over to her friends. “Are we talking about sex right now? Clarke has her ‘fuck me good, Commander,’ eyes on.”

“I don't have fuck me eyes!”

“Yeah, babe, you do. Yes, Raven, we were talking about Clarke’s unstoppable sex drive.”

“Alright, that's great. Have you had sex yet?” Raven points between the two of them, eyes wide and flicking between the two girls.

“No, we haven't. You seem to be very interested in our sex lives, Reyes.”

“I am, Woods! You guys gotta get it on soon before I lose fifty bucks to Octavia.”

“You and Octavia bet on when Lexa and I would have sex?” Clarke asks. Raven laughs, nodding.

“Of course we did, Clarke. I said that you would do the do before winter break, but Octavia got a bit more specific. She said March. Hey look, the bus is here.”

Clarke and Lexa share a glance, shaking their heads at their friend's antics. “Baby, which one of my friends do you like better?”

“I like them both, but I don't think that Octavia will win. March is pretty far away, and you already try to fuck me whenever you see me. I think that Raven is getting the fifty dollars.”

“Is that a roundabout way of saying that you want to have sex with me before the year ends? Because I am down with that.” The bus pulls up to the curb and the driver gets out, introducing himself and opening the bottom compartments for their bags.

“No, it is not.” Lexa shakes her head at Clarke, lifting her suitcase into the bottom of the bus.

“I'm pretty sure it is. Put my suitcase under there too.”

Lexa takes Clarke’s suitcase, putting it next to hers. “Bossy much? You can lift it yourself. Don't try to say you can't.”

“Thank you. Hey, you wouldn't have actually done it if you didn't want to. I'm not saying that I can't lift it, I'm just saying that I like how your godly arms look when you lift things.”

Lexa scoffs as they make their way onto the bus, finding a seat near the back of the bus. Clarke sits next to the window, Lexa sliding in next to her.

“You should see me when I'm at the gym. Although I'm not sure you would be able to keep it in your pants.” Lexa pats Clarke’s knee, smiling sweetly.

“Probably wouldn't be able to. It's cold in here.” Clarke whines, tugging Lexa’s arm around her shoulder.

Lexa rubs Clarke’s arm, planting a kiss to the side of her head. “I know that's code for ‘baby, give me your hoodie.’”

“It might be. But you're always so warm, too. Maybe I just wanna sleep on you for the entire bus ride.”

“Take my hoodie, babe,” Lexa pulls her jacket off, handing it to Clarke. She puts it on happily, snuggling back into Lexa after it’s on.

“Aw, you're letting me wear your jacket and sleep on you? What a good girlfriend.”

Lexa chuckles, wrapping her arm back around her girlfriend. “I strive for that. Seems weird that Jaha and Kane aren't already here. Seems weird that you've been here before me twice now. You were usually the last one on the bus freshman and sophomore year.”

“Well, now I have something to look forward to when I get here.” Clarke runs her fingers down Lexa’s arm slowly, smirking at her.

“Very cute.” Lexa kisses Clarke’s cheek. “Oh look, the coaches are here. Better be on your best behavior. Gotta stop giving me the fuck me eyes.”

“You need to stop talking to Raven. She tells you too many things that are completely untrue.”

“You mean she tells me what you say about me. Oh, like that one time she said that you only did weights your sophomore year because you knew that I was doing weights.”

“I was doing weights for myself. You know, I gotta take care of my body. Make sure that my muscles are in good shape and all that. The fact that you were there was just a little added bonus.”

“Was that another example of your love for how my arms look when I lift things?”

“Of course. To be honest, you in workout clothes is just… it's good.”

Lexa chuckles, watching as the last few kids climb onto the bus. “If you want me to dress in workout clothes you just have to ask.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Clarke replies just as Jaha stands to address the team.

He takes role quickly, pleased to find that everyone is accounted for. “Alright, team, when we get there we’ll grab lunch. We have some extra time, so you get some mall time before we have to go to the hotel.” Excited murmuring and even a few cheers break out at the promise of mall time.

“Hey, we can go shopping together,” Clarke says, tugging at the sleeve of the button up that Lexa has on.

“Maybe I could get you into something plaid.”

“Is that something that you would like, Lexa?”

“You’d look cute. You always look cute, though,” Lexa adds just for good measure. 

“Aw, very sweet. You look cute all the time too. Maybe we can look for some suspenders to complete your whole nerd look.”

Lexa looks completely offended. "What are you talking about? I don't have a nerd look. You're making things up now."

"No I'm not. Baby, I can guarantee that you have a bow tie in your suitcase right now. You're going to give me your suit jacket when we change into our competition clothes because you think I look cute in it. I just want to complete the look with some suspenders."

"I'm not a nerd."

"You have the glasses, you're in all advanced classes, you're in debate. Oh, and let's not forget that you participate in the youth government program every year."

Lexa pulls her arm away from Clarke's shoulder, scooting away from her slightly. "The glasses do not make me a nerd. Seeing clearly is not nerdy."

Clarke grabs one of Lexa's hands, tugging it into her lap. "The whole nerd thing is kind of hot, you know. We don't have to get the suspenders, I just want you to try them on."

"Fine. I'll try some suspenders on for you. Only if you apologize for calling my glasses nerdy." Clarke smiles, pressing a soft kiss to Lexa's cheek.

"I'm sorry, baby. I really am. Now, come here." Clarke holds her arm out, inviting Lexa to curl into her side. She gives Clarke a long look before scooting close to her once again. She wraps her arm around Clarke's waist and settles her head on Clarke's shoulder.

"You're forgiven. I'll try on some suspenders."

"I'm excited," Clarke whispers, pressing a tender kiss to the top of Lexa's head. "It's way too early to be awake."

Lexa hums in agreement, sounding just as tired as Clarke does. "Take a nap. The bus ride is a couple of hours long, so you should be able to get some rest."

She tries to fight back a yawn, her new and extremely comfortable position leaned on Clarke making her realize just how tired she also is.

"You get some sleep too, baby. We need to be rested for the competition or... whatever." Clarke trails off, leaning her head against Lexa's. The blonde's eyes fall shut and she falls asleep just a few moments later.

\--

Raven takes it upon herself to wake the sleeping couple when they arrive at the restaurant for lunch. The way she deems appropriate to wake them is to lean over them and yell 'the British are coming' as loud as she can.

Lexa startles awake, instinctively curling her hand into a fist and swinging at Raven.

"Christ, Woods! You trying to kill me?"

Lexa sits up straight, sliding her hands down her face. "Raven. Ugh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You didn't get me. The hell was that?"

"Sorry, my little brother wakes me up by yelling in my face all the time. It was just, like, second nature. What the hell was with the... the British thing?"

"It just felt right. Good morning, sleeping beauty," Raven says, looking behind Lexa at Clarke. "Did you have a nice nap?”

“Screw off, Reyes." Clarke stretches out, sighing heavily. "Are we here?"

"Yeah, we're here. Get out of the way, Raven." Raven waves at them before walking down the aisle and out of the bus.

"I'm still so tired," Clarke whines, reluctantly standing up. She follows Lexa out of the bus and they join the rest of the team inside of the restaurant.

They end up sitting with Raven and Octavia again. "So, guys, did you enjoy Raven's little wake up call?"

"Octavia, please tell your girlfriend that she's a horrible person and I'm not talking to her until Monday," Clarke replies, smiling sweetly at Octavia.

"I already almost punched her in the face, babe," Lexa says, grinning.

Octavia pats Raven's shoulder, who is giggling at the grumpy look on Clarke's face.

"Clarke, let's be real. You would have been even grumpier if you didn't get to eat. In the long run, it's a good thing that I woke you up. Lexa isn't complaining. Well, she tried to punch me, yes, but she isn't complaining."

Clarke rolls her eyes, ignoring Raven in favor of looking over the menu. The waiter comes and takes their orders, which include blueberry waffles and a garden salad.

"By the way, Clarke, what was wrong at the last tournament? At lunch, when you looked, like, sick. It was during lunch."

Clarke's face grows red as she tries to stammer out an answer. "Well, you see... I was just, um... a bit nervous, I guess. You know how hard it can be when you have a new partner and everything."

Raven snickers, leaning over to whisper in Octavia's ear. She listens, slowly nodding. When Raven is done whispering to her, she nods one last time. "Oooh. I see."

"What? What did she tell you? Octavia, what did she say?" Clarke leans over the table, shooting a glare at Raven.

Octavia shrugs, sharing glance with her girlfriend. "Oh, nothing. Just that you two were figuring out your whole relationship thing around that time. And that Lexa was teasing you."

Clarke grows redder, if that's even possible. "What? No, that's not true. Raven has a really bad problem with saying things that aren't always a hundred percent true. I'm not sure that we can really trust anything that she says."

"You guys were sitting right across from us, too," Lexa says, her face also beginning to turn red.

Raven nods, a smirk on her face. "Right, right. So please explain why Clarke kept looking down at her leg and when you two came back from the bathroom, you looked like you were about to fuck Clarke on the table?"

"What is with you and us having sex?" Clarke grumbles, looking everywhere that isn't Raven.

"Just answer the question, Griff."

"First of all, fuck you."

"Okay, fine, yes. I was teasing Clarke. Can we please actually like mature adults now?" Lexa admits after a few minutes of stares from both Raven and Octavia.

The two other girls erupt into laughter as Clarke and Lexa both pout. Lexa swirls the ice cubes in her water, looking like she wants the ground to swallow her up.

Once the laughter has calmed down, Raven leans over the table to draw their attention back to her. “Now, I'm all for this relationship. Please just tell me that you used protection when you ran off to the bathroom for your sexcapades.”

Clarke has to resist the temptation to flip Raven off. Lexa has to resist the temptation to hide underneath the table and never come out.

The girls ignore Raven and Octavia to the best of their abilities as lunch drags on. Clarke aggressively stabs at her waffles while her girlfriend pushes her salad around her plate, still pouting.

The blonde leans into Lexa, whispering into her ear. “Eat, Lex. Ignore them. You have to eat something.”

Debate may not seem all that physically demanding, but it’s surprising how much it takes out of a person. Staying hydrated and making sure you’ve had enough to eat is incredibly important to make sure you don't end up collapsing.

Lexa sighs, although she actually starts eating now. She occasionally shoots glares across the table, Raven and Octavia snickering every time.

It's a relief when they leave the restaurant and climb back onto the bus. The wonder twins sat further back, so Clarke and Lexa won't have to deal with them. (For a few minutes, anyway.)

Their next stop is the mall. Now, even though Azgeda is a literal hell pit and it physically pains Clarke to be there, the mall is pretty cool. It's got quite a few more stores than the one in Polis. (And really good ice cream, which is all Clarke is currently interested in. That and suspenders.)

It's only a short ride from the restaurant to the mall. During this time, Clarke drums on Lexa’s arm with her fingers to the beat of some song in her head. 

Lexa watches her with an amused look on her face. “Having fun there?”

“Absolutely. I'm spending time with my girl, about to force her to try on various types of clothing. We get to sleep together tonight. Spend all our time together today and tomorrow. We’ll be suffering, but we’ll be together.”

“One, we've slept together before, two, we spend a lot of our time together already, and three, stop with the suffering thing. Azgeda isn't that bad.”

“Yes it is. This is the worst place on earth and I'm probably going to have a completely terrible time.”

Lexa stares at her girlfriend for a long moment. “All of this back and forth is going to give me whiplash. Make up your mind; are you in a good mood or not?”

Clarke just shrugs as they pull into the mall’s parking lot. Kane stands and announces that they’ll have an hour to wander before they have to be back on the bus. Everyone excitedly makes their way off of the bus, chatting happily.

Raven and Octavia end up tagging along with Clarke and Lexa, of course. Thankfully, they seem to have gotten past the whole… well, let's not get back into that.

Raven ends up dragging the other three girls into a sporting goods store, temporarily derailing their shopping plans. 

“Ray, you don't even like sports. What are we doing in here?” Octavia whines, tugging at her girlfriend’s hand. “The last time you played a sport you called it bullshit and then kicked a wall.”

“Well, you learn new things every day,” Lexa murmurs, pulling Clarke over to a display of hiking backpacks. “When did she kick that wall in protest of sports?”

“Fifth grade. She got upset because she missed the basket when we were playing basketball. She did break her ankle kicking that wall, so…” Clarke trails off, chucking at the memory of her best friend’s overreaction.

Lexa picks up one of the bags, unzipping it and doing a thorough inspection. “To be fair, I never liked basketball either. Although I didn't quite take it that far. I just didn't participate.”

“Raven has always had a flare for the dramatic. Do you need a hiking bag?” Lexa shakes her head, returning the backpack to the display.

“Nope. The one I have is perfectly fine, I was just looking. Do you want to ditch thing one and thing two?” The girls look over to where Octavia is still whining at Raven, who has a basketball in her hands.

Clarke pulls Lexa out of the store as fast as she possibly can. “God, yes. I don't want to see what traumatic event will eventually go down in there.”

The couple finds a store to browse around in, Lexa dragging Clarke over to the flannel shirts almost immediately. She pulls a red plaid shirt out, handing it to her girlfriend.

“Here. Classic. Go put it on and let me see when you’re done.” Lexa gives the shorter girl a gentle push towards the changing rooms. While Clarke is trying the shirt on, Lexa flips through the others.

She takes a few more shirts that she thinks Clarke will look good in down, turning when there’s a sudden tap on her shoulder.

Lexa looks her girlfriend up and down appreciatively, grinning. The shirt is a little too big for Clarke, prompting her to turn the sleeves up. 

“You look absolutely adorable,” Lexa says. She grabs Clarke’s hands, pulling her closer. Lexa straightens out the shirt’s collar, lightly dragging her fingertips over the exposed skin of her collarbone.

“I look like you,” Clarke teases, tugging at the sleeve of Lexa’s shirt. 

“Except blonde and with really nice boobs.” Lexa says.

“You have such a way with words, Lex.” Clarke laughs. Lexa leans down and presses a soft kiss to Clarke’s cheek.

“I know I do. You should get that shirt.”

“Let me go get changed,” Clarke says, leaving Lexa with a peck to the lips.

—

Clarke ends up getting the shirt, mostly because of Lexa’s pleading puppy dog eyes. She spins the bag in one hand, the other hand holding Lexa’s.

“Hot Topic will have suspenders, right?” Clarke asks, tugging her girlfriend towards the store.

Lexa shakes her head, refusing to move. “If you think that I'm going in that godforsaken store, you're wrong.”

Clarke snorts, tugging at the taller girl’s hand. “Is this because of your emo phase in freshman year? Has Hot Topic traumatized you?”

“It was not an emo phase! Everyone needs to stop saying that.” Lexa pulls her hand away from Clarke’s, crossing her arms grumpily.

It was most definitely an emo phase. She went all out, really, wearing all black and ripped jeans. She even dyed her hair black for a while.

“Babe, I'm sorry, but that was one of the worst emo phases I've ever seen. The eye makeup… You looked like a raccoon for months.”

Lexa pouts, pointedly looking away from the blonde girl standing in front of her. “Screw off, Griffin.”

“Hey, it’s not like we’ll be shopping for My Chemical Romance shirts. Just nerdy suspenders. Come on, please?”

The brunette sighs after a moment of Clarke staring at her with puppy dog eyes. “Fine. If I have a nightmare tonight, it's all your fault.”

Lexa is still pouting, but she follows Clarke into the store. She winces at the loud punk rock music coming from the speakers and the display of dark makeup. Clarke wanders slowly around the store just to torture her girlfriend a little bit.

The pair finally finds a few pairs of suspenders. Clarke grins as she sees that one pair has a cheery rainbow pattern. “Look at this! It really fits your personality, babe.” Clarke holds them up, nodding slowly.

Lexa narrows her eyes at the shorter girl, pointedly picking up a pair of plain black suspenders. She clips them onto her pants, holding her arms out once done.

“Mhm. Just as I thought. You look super nerdy. But in a really good, really sexy way.” Clarke leans forward to kiss Lexa quickly. “These would go great with your suit.”

They get the suspenders, and Lexa leaves the store as quickly as she possibly can. 

—

They go straight to the hotel after they leave the mall. Jaha instructs them to grab their bags and wait in the lobby for their room assignments.

Lexa takes Clarke’s bag without even being asked, making her way into the hotel. “You really don't have to carry my suitcase, baby.”

“I know,” Lexa says, setting both suitcases down once they're inside. “I feel sort of bad for being snappy earlier in the mall.”

“Aww, baby. Don't worry about it. I was teasing you, after all. Thank you.” Clarke wraps an arm securely around her girlfriend’s waist. Lexa smiles softly, pressing a kiss to the tip of Clarke’s head.

Kane and Jaha get the key cards from the front desk staff and call out room numbers and names.

“Reyes, Blake, Woods, and Griffin. Room 307,” Kane says. He hands Lexa the key cards, fixing all four of them with narrowed eyes. “Lights out is at 11:30. No funny business from any of you, alright?”

They all murmur affirmative answers before he seems satisfied, sending them off to their room.

The four girls get into their room and Raven immediately jumps onto the bed closest to the window to claim it.

Shaking her head at her friend’s antics, Clarke unzips her suitcase to find her competition clothes. They all get changed and three of them- minus Lexa- apply makeup.

“You ready for this, Clarke?” Lexa asks as they walk down the hallway, hand in hand.

“Nope,” she replies, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand gently. “I'm going to hate every moment of this. At least you'll be there to suffer with me.”


	3. Into Azgeda: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tournament begins and a certain someone causes some trouble. Clarke has a mishap during a round, Lexa is introduced to Cards Against Humanity, and Raven and Octavia discuss explosions. On the second day of the tournament, Lexa feels insecure and Clarke tries to help. Jake calls in to check on his little girl and inturrupts something. Also featuring Coconut the cat and Benji the dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again, friends. A quick thank you to everyone who reads this, leaves kudos, or comments. Speaking of comments, tell me what you think of the chapter lengths in the comments. This chapter is actually gigantic. If you want them shorter, if you think the length is fine, or anything else, please let me know. Also note that this is (again) unedited and written on my phone. If there are mistakes please forgive me. Without further ado, the chapter. Read on and enjoy!

Chapter Three

The postings are already up when the Polis team gets to Azgeda High School, so everyone rushes inside and pushes their way through the crowd to get their room numbers. Lexa goes while Clarke stays behind. She drops their backpacks off at the Polis table and makes her way back to where she can see the postings. She shuffles through their folder to make sure their cases and all of their evidence are in order.

She feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around to come face-to-face with a shaggy-haired boy. “Oh. Finn. Is there something you need?”

Finn had gone to Polis High for his entire freshman year and most of his sophomore year before his family suddenly decided to move to Mount Weather.

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say hey. Say that you look absolutely fantastic right now. Is that dress new? It really works wonders…”

Clarke has to close her eyes and take a slow, deep breath before continuing. “Yeah, it’s new. Lexa and I went shopping about a week ago. I got this.”

“Lexa? Like, that annoying uptight bitch who always tries to tell everyone how to do shit? Why are you hanging around with her?”

It's at that moment that Lexa starts making her way back to Clarke, scribbling their room number onto a slip of paper.

“For one, she’s my partner. And she’s really not that bad if you just talk to her.” Clarke shifts uncomfortable, silently willing Lexa to come back faster so she can stop talking to this dipshit.

“And what about the whole control freak thing?” He asks, his voice dry and his eyebrows raised.

Clarke sighs, craning her neck to look into the crowd of kids. “She just gets nervous that everything will go wrong. And, really, her advice isn't that bad. Oh thank god.”

She mutters the last part under her breath, spotting Lexa walking towards them. Once she’s reached them, she wraps an almost protective arm around Clarke’s shoulders.

“Babe. Is Finn bothering you?” She shoots a glare at the boy, who promptly returns it. They’ve never liked each other. Not like Clarke’s dislike of Lexa, no, Finn and Lexa just have vastly different personalities and they don't mix very well.

“Kind of. Did you get the room number?” Lexa nods, showing her the slip of paper. “Fantastic. Let's get outta here.”

Clarke spins around and pulls Lexa with her, trying to put as much distance between them and Finn as possible.

“Ugh. You okay? What did that little creep-bag want with you?”

“Oh, he was mostly insulting you and being a flaming bag of hair gel and bad cologne. So, the usual.” Clarke always gets the impression that Finn is hitting on her whenever they talk, which is about as far from what Clarke wants as something can possibly be.

Lexa huffs, narrowing her eyes. “I've never liked - this way- him. He rubs me the wrong way. Something about the hair and the… way he looks at you.”

“The way he looks at me?”

“The way he looks at girls in general, I guess. Although he does seem to be creepily fixated on you. I'm kind of glad that he moved.”

Clarke smiles slightly, reaching out to touch Lexa’s arm. “Well, I don't have to worry about him when I'm dating the big, strong Commander. You can keep me safe from the Finns of this world.”  
“I don't need to keep you safe. You're perfectly capable of protecting yourself. You could probably take that bitch down.”

Lexa smiles brightly at Clarke, the annoyance from seeing Finn melting away. They stop outside of their room, across from two boys who both seem extremely nervous. They look young and like they have no idea what they're doing.

Clarke nudges Lexa, nodding to the boys. “Aw, they look so scared. It's kind of adorable.”

“Hey, you kids,” Lexa says. They look up, their eyes wide. “Yeah, you two. How old are you?”

The shorter one with the dark hair answers. “We’re sophomores. Um, this is our first year doing varsity debate.”

His partner, who is lanky and looks suspiciously high, gives a small wave. “I'm Jasper. This is Monty.”

“Clarke and Lexa,” Clarke says, pointing at them when she says their respective names. “You guys are going to do great. Don't worry about it.”

“And, hey, you’ll only get better. Every debate round is just practice for your next round,” Lexa adds. Monty smiles crookedly. He looks slightly more relaxed than he did a few minutes ago.

Jasper still just looks high. Which is pretty much against every rule ever made by the National Speech and Debate Association, and pretty much every high school in the country. “Nice suspenders,” he says, nodding lazily at Lexa.

She smiles politely before leaning down to whisper in Clarke’s ear. “Is it just me or is that Jasper kid totally stoned?”

“Not just you. This should be quite the interesting round, huh? Let's hope the judge doesn't know what a stoned kid looks like.”

—

The judge, thankfully, didn't seem to know that Jasper was potentially high. The boys did alright, pretty good for the relative lack of experience that all new debaters have. Monty, especially. He had some good point and he spoke well.

They all shake hands and thank the judge for his time. He smiles and nods, focused on writing on the scoring ballot.

The two teams leave the room, Lexa’s hand resting softly on Clarke’s lower back. “Really, you two did great. Keep practicing and be determined and you’ll be stars.”

Monty gives Lexa another pleased smile at her words of support. “Oh, and Jasper? Please try not to come to tournaments high. No one wants you getting kicked off the team or expelled from school,” Clarke says.

His cheeks grow red- Monty is blushing harder than he is, actually- and starts to stammer out a reply. “Oh, um. Th-thank you. For the advice. And stuff.”

Clarke and Lexa hear Monty hiss “I told you that was a horrible idea, Jasper,” as they walk away. Once out of earshot from the boys, Lexa dissolves into a fit of laughter.

“Come on, it’s not that funny. Seriously, he shouldn't have done that! You’d have a heart attack if you knew that one of our teammates was high at a tournament.”

Lexa takes a deep breath to calm herself down. “I know, I know. It's not that funny. It's kind of funny, Clarke.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips. “Okay, it's kind of funny. I really hope that he doesn't get caught, though.”

“He probably won't. And if he does, I'm sure that he knows the consequences.” They walk down the hall to the cafeteria, sitting at the table that Polis had claimed.

“Probably. Monty seemed like a really nice kid.” Clarke pulls a binder out of her backpack, grabbing a history worksheet that she needs to finish by Tuesday.

“Yeah, I liked him. Do you need any help with that? Lexa quickly scans the worksheet in front of her girlfriend.

They work together on the questions until everything is completed. Clarke smiles, pressing a soft, quick kiss to Lexa’s lips.

Lexa grins against the kiss, running her fingertips down Clarke’s arm. She’s once again wearing Lexa’s suit jacket over her dress.

They separate, giving each other shy smiles and gentle touches. “Aw, what a helpful girlfriend. I'll help you with your algebra if you have any.”

“Oh my god yes please. I hate math so much.”

“I know, baby. That's kind of why I offered help. You've never liked math. It's another one of those few things I picked up about you while I hated you.”

“Oh? How'd you pick that up?” Lexa asks, tilting her head to the side in a way that practically forces Clarke’s eyes to move to her girlfriend's neck.

“Every time you had to do math homework you would complain until Anya sat down and helped you.”

“Oh. I guess I did do that. Anya’s good at math,” Lexa says, trying to defend her actions.

“I get it now. You only like me because I'll help you with your math,” Clarke teases, watching as Lexa leans down to grab her math book and her binder from her backpack.

She flips the book open to a page that’s been dog-eared. “You know, I never disliked you. I stayed away from you because I knew that you didn't like me, but I always thought that you were so pretty and so smart.”

“Aw, you had a crush on me. I always knew how absolutely gorgeous you are. To be honest, I just kind of made you more annoying. I would always wonder how you were just so good looking and so good at everything.”

“Except for math. And it kind of sounds like you had a crush on me too, you just decided that you hated me instead of realizing your feelings.”

Clarke chuckles softly, looking down at Lexa’s open textbook. She quickly scans the page, wondering how best to start explaining it to her girlfriend. “Don't try to… psychology me.”

“I'm going to psychology you. You've always had feelings for me, but you were scared of said feelings, so you convinced yourself that you hated me. Then you had to actually spend time with me and you realized that I'm not that bad and you want to get into my pants. And now we are here.”

(Clarke would never admit it, but the more she thinks about it, the more Lexa’s reasoning makes sense.) She rolls her eyes, pulling the math book closer. “Shut up and let me help you cheat on your math.”

—

They're sitting in the middle of their third round, the last for the day. The opposing team, who Lexa recognizes as a Broadleaf team, are taking some prep time before they have to give a speech.

Clarke and Lexa have their heads bent together, looking down at their legal pads and discussing the best strategies of attack.

And then there's a spot of red on the legal pad, bright against the yellow paper. The girls look up at each other and Lexa’s eyes widen.

“Oh my god, Clarke!” Lexa’s hands fly up to Clarke’s face, one hand cradling the back of her head and the other presses right underneath Clarke’s nose.

The judge and the two other kids look over at Clarke and Lexa. Clarke’s nose is practically pouring blood and Lexa is trying her best to keep it from staining her sleeve.

“Get me tissues!” Lexa urges the Broadleaf kids, who startle before getting up to find tissues.

“Lex,” Clarke says, muffled underneath Lexa’s hand. “‘M okay, it's no big deal.”

“Clarke, you're not okay. You're bleeding really badly.” One of the other kids returns with a handful of tissues, giving them to Lexa.

Clarke takes some of the tissues, gently pushing Lexa’s hand away from her face. She presses the tissue against her bleeding nose.

“Clean all that blood off your hands,” Clarke says, still muffles. Lexa grabs the remaining tissues and wipes away as much blood as she possibly can. (It's a lot of blood.)

The judge clears his throat. “Are we all ready to proceed?” Clarke and Lexa both nod, along with the two Broadleaf kids.

They continue with the debate. Clarke has to give another speech, and thankfully, by that time her nose has stopped bleeding.

When the debate is finished, Lexa leads Clarke back to the cafeteria, fretting over her the entire time.

“Are you sure that you're okay? We can drop the rest of the rounds if you're not okay. I'll just talk to Jaha.”

“Lexa, baby, I'm okay. Just a little bloody nose, there’s nothing to worry about. We aren't dropping out of the tournament.”

They walk into the cafeteria. “I just worry about you. That was scary. It seemed like you were losing a lot of blood.”

The girls sit at the Polis table, politely waving to the other students already there. “I know it was. I think you're forgetting that my mother is a doctor, though. It seemed like a lot of blood, but it wasn't really. It didn't last long enough for it to be really serious. Okay?”

“Okay. Okay. I think I need to go wash my hands.” She looks down at her hands in distaste, small flecks of red still visible.

“I'll go with you. Come on.” They stand up together and make their way to the nearest bathroom. Clarke leans against the counter as Lexa scrubs her hands clean.

“Ugh. I just had a bunch of your blood all over my hands. Not something that I ever wanted to happen.”

“Hopefully something that'll never happen again,” Clarke says, watching as Lexa dries her hands. “I'm just glad it didn't get all over your shirt. That would have been a disaster.”

“Mhm,” Lexa hums in agreement. “Although I do have another dress shirt, so I guess it wouldn't have been that terrible.” Clarke follows the taller girl out of the bathroom.

“Aw, the pink one? You always look so adorable in that shirt.” Lexa smiles at Clarke, pure affection and tenderness in her expression.

“Why, thank you.” They once again return to the cafeteria, where just about everyone is except for Raven and Octavia. Even Kane is there.

“Hello, girls.” Kane greets them. They sit across from him. “I heard that there was a bit of a mishap in your last round.” There’s a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he says it.

“Mishap,” Lexa mumbles.

“My nose may have started to bleed just a tiny bit in the middle of the round. No big deal, although I think Lexa was about to have a panic attack.”

“It was a lot of blood! Kane, my hand was covered in blood and half of her face was as well.”

“She’s exaggerating,” Clarke says, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend to pull her close. She presses a soothing kiss to Lexa’s cheek.

Lexa relaxes slightly and Kane chuckles, looking over the girls. (Something that Kane will never admit: Clarke and Lexa are probably his favorite students and he’s ecstatic that they're together. They make absolutely terrific friends and they seem so much happier with each other. He’s their number one shipper.)

“Well, so far you two have won all of your rounds, so I suppose the impromptu bloodbath didn't have any effect on that round.”

Clarke and Lexa high five, celebrating the news. Kane isn't technically supposed to tell them the results of their rounds, but all of the coaches do it anyway.

“Well, we will be out of here pretty soon. We just have to wait for the policy rounds to get over so we can grab Murphy and Emori, then we’ll take you guys to the store so you can grab something to eat. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. I can only imagine what the wonder twins will be getting… iced coffee and pizza rolls?”

“Probably,” Clarke confirms her girlfriend’s worries. “Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity before? Because you definitely will tonight.”

“No…? Should I be worried?” Lexa asks, raising a eyebrow. “Isn't that the game where you're given a prompt and you have to pick the most messed up card you have to go with it?”

“Something like that. It'll be a lot of fun, baby, I promise.” There is a sudden clamor as a couple dozen more kids file into the cafeteria. Most of the policy rounds seem to have ended, seemingly right on time.

Raven and Octavia appear at their table, sitting on either side of Kane. Raven throws her arms around Kane’s shoulders, squeezing him. (The team had learned not to question where the couple disappears to at random times. It usually seems to include light breaking and entering into chemistry labs.)

“Marcus, my man! Have I told you lately that your hair looks fantastic? And I absolutely love the beard. I think you should keep growing it out. It really makes you look rugged and manly.”

Kane simply sighs, giving Raven the feared Coach Kane look. “What did you do this time, Raven?”

It's Octavia who answers, seeing as Raven just flashes him a charming smile. “She got angry. There was an Azgeda team and we could tell that the judge was favoring them. You know, because Azgeda is crooked and they can't win without cheating. Anyway, she may have kind of called the judge an asshole while we were leaving and he may have heard her.”

Kane fixes Raven with a glare that would have anyone quaking in their boots. “Raven, you know that if any more incidents like this get out, the national association may have to revoke your membership. You can't keep breaking the rules like this.”

“I know, I know! But we don't even know for a fact that the judge bro heard us.”

“There was no us. It was all you, Raven Lindsey Reyes,” Octavia joins in on the glaring, crossing her arms. “If I end up getting in trouble because of your serious lack of an impulse control, I will end you. I don't care how hot you are, you will be over.”

Raven’s hands fly into the air and she nods quickly. “Okay, yes. I understand. And I apologize, dear. Please don't kill me.”

“She pulled out the middle name,” Lexa whispers, leaning further into Clarke. “You know that she means business when she pulls out the middle name.”

“Is that so, Alexandria Alycia Woods?” Clarke whispers back, her tone low and husky.

“That’s just kind of sexy, Clarke Eliza Griffin.”

“Oh, I see what you mean. Although I think the sexy factor comes from the way we’re speaking. I'm sure it’d be terrifying if we were yelling at each other.”

“Probably. Octavia looks like a disappointed mom right now.”

“I feel like a disappointed mom right now,” Clarke says, watching as Octavia continues to scold Raven, who’s busy pouting.

“Does that make me the disappointed father?” Lexa whispers. Clarke nods slightly.

“Yeah, sure. I think we might have to rescue our child.”

“Why would we do that, babe? As long as she’s being yelled at we have time to ourselves. We haven't had much of that since she was a baby.”

Clarke sighs heavily. “I know, dear. But with how much I participate in the PTA and my budding career in real estate, I have so little time to spend with you.”

“I'm perusing a promotion in my boring office job so I can take you on a vacation that neither of us will really enjoy. We will go on the trip, pretend to enjoy it, then come back and realize that our respective responsibilities are tearing us apart. We will stay in a loveless marriage for our child, while we long for that spark to return.”

“That got really dark really soon. I think the moral of this is that we shouldn't become PTA parents with a demon child like Raven.”

Lexa nods in agreement. Soon, Jaha walks into the cafeteria and tells Kane that they're done for the night and free to go.

The team, at various levels of exhaustion and self-hatred, filter out of the school and slowly make their way to the bus. (Which is parked just about as far from the school as it can be. Of course.)

On the drive to the store, Zoe and Harper decide that it’s a fantastic idea to play Hannah Montana songs as loudly as possible and get half of the team to sing along.

“I might actually kill them all,” Clarke says, contemplating how she could best pull off the mass murder.

“I’d help. Girlfriends who slay together stay together,” Lexa says.

“Okay, tumblr. Although I do appreciate the offer.”

“I have a painfully low tolerance for Hanna Montana and fifteen tone-deaf teenagers doing surprise karaoke.”

They pull into the parking lot of a Safeway and Kane glares at Zoe and Harper until they turn off the Hannah Montana.

“You kids know the drill. Be polite, respectful, don't make a mess. Act like you're here with stern 75 year old grandfather. If you're not back on the bus in fifteen minutes, we’re leaving you. Go.”

The looks on the cashier’s faces range from confused to annoyed to, in one case, creepily excited as he stares at the girls on the team.

Clarke grabs a basket for herself and Lexa and they wander around the store. They choose pretty healthy options, including fruit and deli sandwiches. Unlike Raven and Octavia.

Octavia is pushing a cart, which Raven is sitting in, and they run down the aisles, grabbing whatever junk food they can. Which is to be expected, really. Lexa has no idea how her girlfriend has put up with them for so many years.

They pay, explaining to the cashier that they're here for a speech and debate tournament and they’re not just a bus full of kids dressing up for no reason.

Clarke and Lexa leave the store, but they manage to catch Raven flipping the creepy dude off before they walk out.

“Raven is such an inspiration. I aspire to be just like her,” Clarke says as they climb onto the bus.

“Really? She’s a little bit… overwhelming. I’m okay with some spontaneity, but I'm a fan of being able to go on a cute date or have a nice conversation without worrying that something is about to explode.”

“Cute dates like what?

“Like going to the aquarium.”

“I’m down. I expect you to take me on an aquarium date sometime in the very near future.”

“We will, don't worry,” they watch as more kids file into the bus, their hands full of bags. “Can I expect you to take to take me on any cute dates?”

“Aw, baby, of course. We can go on a hike together and have a nice little picnic in the woods.”

“Combining my three favorite things, huh? You, food, and hiking. It's a date.”

The coaches climb back onto the bus and call for a count. (Of course, they're a bus load of tired teenagers. They mess up about three times before Kane gets pissed and just counts them himself.)

“Where are Raven and Octavia?” He asks, sounding completely exasperated. Then we hear a crash from the front of the store. They run out of the store, carrying about six bags each. “Did they buy the entire store?” Kane mumbles, sitting back down in his seat.

They run across the parking lot and throw themselves into the bus. They throw their bags down on a seat.

“We’re here!” Raven announces proudly, throwing her arms up into the air.

“And with…42 seconds to spare,” Octavia adds, pulling her phone out to consult the timer that she had set.

Jaha looks between the two of them. “You both are pains in the ass. I feel sorry for whoever has to room with you.”

“That would be Clarke and Lexa,” Raven says, shrugging. “I predict that Lexa will want to murder us after fifteen minutes. Clarke is used to us, though.”

“Do you think Raven’s predictions will come true?” Clarke whispers, curling close to Lexa as she drapes her arm around Clarke’s shoulders.

“I'll want to kill them but I won't because they're your friends and I like you.”

Clarke laughs, turning her head to place a kiss on Lexa’s jaw. “If they get on my nerves I might give you permission to get rid of them.”

“Do you think the team would turn me in?”

“Eh… No. I think that most of them would thank you, actually. Jaha might be a bit upset that he lost his best duo interpretation team, but he’d get over it.”

They pull into the hotel lot and the coaches tell everyone to be in bed by 11:30 and that they have to be on the bus at 8:00 tomorrow.

Clarke and Lexa get off the bus and make their way to their room. Once there, Lexa unlocks the door. (She and Clarke took the key cards. They’re by far the more responsible of the four of them.)

They drop their backpacks on the floor and their grocery bags on the desk. Lexa grabs her pajamas from her suitcase and goes to change in the bathroom while Clarke changes in the room.

She lets Raven and Octavia in when one of them kicks the door. They're laden with grocery bags and Clarke can see a box of pizza rolls and Gushers in one of them.

They drop their bags on their bed as Lexa comes out of the bathroom, wearing sweatpants and a tank top. Her hair is out of her normal braids and her glasses are off.

“Hey, Commander! You want some pizza rolls?” Raven asks as she tear the box open. Lexa raises an eyebrow, shaking her head slowly.

“No thank you. Are you guys really going to be able to eat all of that stuff?”

“Well, some of this stuff is snacks for tomorrow. A lot of it is for the party that will be tonight.” She dumps about half of the bag of pizza rolls onto a plate, shoving it into the microwave.

Lexa nearly folds her clothes and puts them away in her suitcase before sitting next to Clarke on the bed. “Party.”

“Party,” Octavia confirms. She’s snacking on chips and salsa, still wearing her dress. “We’re gonna play Cards Against Humanity. It'll be an experience.”

Clarke leans over to kiss Lexa’s cheek and hands her a sandwich. “Here you go. Don't worry, they’ll be passed out by, like, one in the morning.”

Octavia and Raven change as Lexa and Clarke eat their sandwiches. “Mm, one A.M. Totally the correct amount of sleep we should be getting.”

“Live a little, baby. You don't know fun until you get five hours of sleep and then go debate for the rest of the day.”

“That doesn't sound like fun. It sounds like actual hell.” Lexa stands up and grabs a fruit bowl to share with Clarke.

“Well, it kind of is. But you’ll have a lot of fun messing around with us, I swear.”

“These pizza rolls are hot as shit,” Raven grumbles. She sets the plate down and leans over to dig around in her backpack.

She pulls out her Cards Against Humanity set, exclaiming triumphantly. “Here we go! Lexa, have you ever played before?”

“Nope. Although I think I understand the basic idea of the game.” Raven nods, sitting on the edge of the bed. She counts out ten white cards for each of them and hands them out. “Okay. Lexa, you can be the card czar this round so you can get a hang of it. Pick a black card.”

“Card czar,” she mutters at Raven hands the box over. She takes a back card out and squints at it. “What are my parents hiding from me?”

The other three girls shuffle through their white cards and they each hand one to Lexa. She shuffles them around before reading the answers.

“This year’s mass shooting, German dungeon porn, and the homosexual agenda.” She studies the cards, tilting her head a bit. “Well, as much as I love German dungeon porn, I have to give it to the homosexual agenda. As a homosexual myself, I can identify.”

Clarke claps her hands together, holding her hand out for the black card. “Ha! I knew that the gay jokes would win with you.”

Lexa gives her the card and a kiss.

—

“This month’s Cosmo: spice up your sex life by bringing explosions into the bedroom.” Raven puts the cards down, a thoughtful look on her face. She turns to Octavia after a moment. “That's a fantastic idea.”

“Mm, I feel like it'd be dangerous,” Octavia says, shrugging.

“Well, I feel like that's the appeal.”

Lexa tries to hold back a yawn as she snuggles closer to Clarke. Clarke strokes her hair gently, leaning down to whisper in Lexa’s ear.

“You tired, baby?” Lexa nods sleepily, setting her cards down on Clarke’s lap. “Raven, O, I think that Lex is just about to pass out. I think we’re done for the night.”

Raven nods to acknowledge Clarke before she goes back to discussing sex explosions with Octavia.

Clarke takes their cards and sets them down on the nightstand before she lays back, pulling Lexa with her.

Lexa pulls the covers up over them before clinging onto Clarke, burying her face into her girlfriend's neck.

“You're cuddly when you're tired, huh?”

“Like an otter,” Lexa murmurs, pressing a sleepy kiss against Clarke’s neck.

“You and your sea creatures,” Clarke says, affection coloring her tone. “Go to sleep, baby. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“Mmkay. G’night, babe.”

“Goodnight, Lex.”

—

Lexa wakes up at 5:30 and shakes Clarke awake so they can go torture themselves with exercise.

“Oh, fuck you,” Clarke whines, rolling over so her back is facing Lexa. Lexa wraps her arm around Clarke’s waist, kissing her shoulder.

“I would any other time, but we are getting up to go for our morning run. I'll buy you fries from the Wendy’s that's down the street from Azgeda High.”

“That defeats the purpose of going for a run in the first place,” Clarke says, sighing. She sits up slowly. “But I accept your offer.”

This is how they end up stretching outside of the hotel, Clarke shivering because of the fall chill.

Somehow, Lexa seems not to notice the cold air. “Aren't you freezing? You're wearing a sports bra and basketball shorts, Lex.”

Lexa looks down at her attire, shrugging. “Eh, it's not that cold.”

“Well, sleeping with you was a bit like sleeping with an electric blanket.” They start slowly jogging, just a light speed to get warmed up.

“Well, that's a good thing in winter. You won't have to get one of those expensive, uncomfortable electric blankets and I'm less of a fire hazard.”

“I'm not sure that’s completely true. I've been in your bedroom. I know how many candles you have in there. And you just leave them burning!”

“I keep them away from anything flammable! They have their own shelf, you know that. Although I guess I should make sure to blow them out,” she mutters, speeding up so that Clarke would have to catch up.

She easily does. “Yeah, probably. I'd hate it if your house burned down. I like your family. And spending time at your house. With you. And Benji.”

“You only like me for my dog,” Lexa says, playfully glaring over at Clarke. Lexa has a handsome Border Collie named Benjamin that Clarke absolutely loves.

“Can you blame me? He’s gorgeous.” Lexa gives her a long, disapproving look before running faster. Clarke also speeds up, laughing quietly. “You're gorgeous too. And I would choose you over Benji.”

“Thank you. I'm super glad that you don't mind that I have a child. A furry, four-legged child who drinks from a bowl and licks his foot for entertainment.”

“I love your child and I'm here to support you and the baby in any way that I can. I like spending time with your baby. He plays with me and occasionally gives me kisses.”

“My kisses are better,” Lexa says. The conversation stops for a while as they focus on running and keeping a pace that’s comfortable for both of them.

After a while of quiet running, they turn back to start heading towards the hotel.

“You know, my dad really likes you,” Clarke says, breaking the silence.

Lexa glances over at her, smiling. “Jake? He’s pretty great. I don't really know what I did to make him like me but I appreciate it.”

“He says it’s because you like me so much. You look so happy to see me all the time and you're polite and respectful. You put up with his dad jokes.”

“Put up with them?” Lexa laughs. “I love Jake’s dad jokes. And hey, I am happy to see you all the time,” she says, slowing her pace and looking Clarke in the eye. “I do like you. A lot, Clarke.”

“Lex, I like you too. You're… actually pretty great. You make me happy, Lexa. You make me feel good about myself.” By now they're just walking next to each other. Lexa reaches out and captures one of Clarke’s hands in her own.

“I'm pretty lucky that I get to call you my girlfriend. You're Clarke Griffin and I'm just… another kid from the rough part of town.”

“Baby, no. You’re not just another person. And it really doesn't matter to me where you live. You're what matters. You are so special and you should never forget that. You're a star debater, you're the best damn hitter our softball team has had in a decade… you're important.”

Lexa nods and clears her throat before ducking her head. Clarke thinks that she sees Lexa reach up and wipe at her eyes, but she doesn't mention it.

“Th- thank you, Clarke. Let's get back to the hotel, yeah?”

“Yeah. C’mon.” Clarke starts running again, letting Lexa hang back a few steps so she can have a moment to herself.

Lexa eventually catches up, sniffling quietly. They get back to the hotel a few minutes later and make their way back to their room. They're quiet when they get inside the room, because Raven and Octavia are still passed out together.

“I'm gonna go take a shower,” Lexa whispers. Clarke nods, grabbing her phone off of the desk before leaning over the wonder twins.

She taps a few things and turns her volume up. Clarke starts the video, which is of Raven screaming “wake up, bitches!” Clarke isn't completely sure why she has the video, but it’s very fitting.

Raven screams and Octavia pulls the blankets over her head. “I hate my entire life and everything about it. Why am I here?” Octavia whines, muffled by the blankets.

“You chose to be here. This is an extracurricular activity, meaning that you have a choice whether to come or not. And you chose to come and stay up until one in the morning. Get up.”

Raven flips Clarke off, sitting up in the bed. “Why do you still have that video? I am going to end you.”

“Fight me, bitch.”

“I will!”

“Raven, the last time you tried to fight Clarke you broke your elbow because you fell off of my bunk bed.”

“She woke me up that time too. I think we can see the common denominator in these fights.”

Clarke rolls her eyes and grabs the bottom of the blanket. She yanks the blankets off of the bed, causing both of her best friends to groan.

“Get up, bitches. We gotta get dressed, pack everything up, and get down to breakfast. Let's get moving.”

Raven and Octavia reluctantly get up and get dressed. Clarke can hear the shower turn off and soon Lexa walks out, dressed and grinning.

“That was a fantastic wake up call, babe,” she says. Clarke kisses her cheek as she walks by.

“Well, thank you. I'm gonna go take a shower too. Watch the kids and make sure they clean everything up.”

Lexa pulls her into a hug and kisses her forehead. “I'll try to control them.”

“We can hear you two dicks.”

“Yes, Raven, that's the point. We’re trying to guilt trip you into being more responsible and make less messes.”

“Never going to happen, Commander,” Raven says. Lexa rolls her eyes and helps the two delinquents clean the room up.

It's near and all of their things are packed up when Clarke walks out of the bathroom.

“Aw, kids, I'm so proud of you. Good job.”

“I did most of the cleaning. These two just kind of ate a bunch of Fruit Loops and asked me about how you are in bed.”

“The two of you are perverts.”

“To be fair, we also asked Lexa how good she is in bed. So it was two sided. Although she didn't answer to either of those questions.”

“Probably because we haven't had sex,” Clarke says dryly, packing up her suitcase.

Octavia looks up from her phone. “Because you two are going to wait until March, right?”

“Nope. You gotta do the do before winter break,” Raven says, shaking her head.

“You do realize that if we have sex any time from during winter break to March, neither of you will win the bet. So anytime from December 20th to February 28th. You did not think this bet out.”

“Quit being smart and shit, Lexa. At least I didn't pick some random month.”

“Okay children, let’s stop talking about the sex bet and get down to breakfast.”

Lexa grabs her suitcase (and Clarke’s, because she’s a gentleman) and they glance around the room one last time to make sure they aren't forgetting anything.

They leave the room and walk down to the breakfast area, where a few other members of the team are already scattered around.

They claim a seat before going to get their breakfast. Clarke uses the waffle makes and makes herself some blueberry waffles, because of course she does.

Lexa and Clarke sit across from each other and a few minutes later the wonder twins join them. They both have bowls of Fruit Loops and Raven dumps a packet of sugar into her glass of orange juice.

Lexa sips at her tea, raising an eyebrow at Raven. “That’s actually disgusting. It’s like three times the amount of sugar you're supposed to have in a day.”

“That's the point. The sugar will give me a boost for the day so I can be all hyper and jump around and shit in rounds.”

“You're actually the dumbest person I've ever met, Ray,” Clarke says, tearing off a piece of her English muffin. “You're going to have a giant sugar crash and you're going to be exhausted by noon.”

Raven takes a long drink of her juice, her eyes flicking between Clarke and Lexa. “Not if I keep eating a shit-ton of sugar throughout the day.”

Lexa sighs heavily. “She’s going to explode.”

“Yep.”

Kane and Jaha stride into the room and Kane walks up to them, pulling up a chair.

“Hey there, girls. Raven, Octavia, you sure that you don't want something healthier? There’s a sugar crash on the horizon.”

Lexa and Clarke share a look. “That's what we told her, Kane. She’s on a path to self destruction.”

“Screw you, Lexa.”

“Raven, language. Be on the bus in fifteen minutes, okay?”

Fifteen minutes later, Clarke and Lexa are on the bus watching as Raven struggles to shove her luggage into the compartment underneath the bus.

“Should one of us get out and help her?” Clarke asks.

“Nope.”

—

The best way to pass the time while waiting for postings is to find an empty room and make out, as Clarke and Lexa have discovered.

They found a side entrance to the auditorium, which is empty and has fantastically comfortable seats.

Clarke is perched in Lexa’s lap, her hands tangled in Lexa’s loose hair. She kisses Lexa’s neck, tugging at her hair.

“You drive me crazy, Clarke,” Lexa mumbles. Her breath hitches as Clarke nips lightly at her pulse point.

Lexa places one finger under Clarke’s chin, guiding their lips back together. Clarke smiles against her girlfriend’s lips, untangling one hand from her hair. She fumbles with the buttons on Lexa’s shirt (the cute pink one) before finally getting a few undone.

“Are you trying to make Raven win that bet?” Lexa asks, pulling away from Clarke slightly. She’s grinning and she slowly unbuttons the last few buttons that Clarke didn't get.

“I wouldn't be opposed to that. You looked really good this morning on our run…” Clarke slides her hand up Lexa’s stomach, her fingers finding the bottom of Lexa’s bra.

Lexa chuckles, placing her hand high on Clarke’s thigh. She rubs soft circles onto her leg, bringing their lips back together.

It’s about ten minutes later when they hear buzzing from their bag, which is on the seat next to them.

“Dammit,” Lexa growls, her face flushed and her breathing heavy.

Clarke reaches over and grabs her phone from the bag, cursing under her breath when she reads who the call is from.

“My dad is calling me.” Lexa sigh heavily, removing her hand from where it had been resting on the inside of Clarke’s thigh. Clarke accepts the call and puts it on speaker. “Hey, Dad! What’s up?” She tries to make her voice sound as normal as possible and not like she was just in an intense make-out session with her girlfriend.

“Hi, sweetie. I was just calling to check in on you. How’s the tournament going?”

“Oh, great. Lex and I are just waiting for postings for the sixth round. Hoping that we’re going to break to finals.”

“You two won't have any problem with that. Is she there? Can I say hi to her?”

Clarke closes her eyes, shifting slightly backwards on top of Lexa. “Yep, she’s right next to me. Here she is.”

Clarke holds her phone out to Lexa, who’s eyes grow wide. She takes her girlfriend’s phone, taking a deep breath to compose herself.

“Hey, Mr. Griffin! Oh, no, Clarke is just helping me with some math homework. I'm sure you’ve picked up how useless I am at math by now.” Lexa pauses for a long moment as Jake talks. “Okay. Yes, I'll make sure. Okay. I'll give you back to Clarke now. It was nice talking to you, Mr. Griffin.”

Lexa hands Clarke her phone back. “Me again, Dad.”

“Lexa is such a polite young woman. I know that you didn't like her for so long, but she really is good person.”

“I know she is. I was wrong to think the way I did about her.” Lexa raises an eyebrow at Clarke, knowing that the topic is her.

Clarke leans forward and quickly kisses Lexa’s forehead. “Well, I probably shouldn't keep you for too long. Have a great time, honey. Crush them.”

“I will, Dad,” Clarke chuckles. “Talk to you later.” After they exchange their goodbyes, Jake hangs up.

Clarke sighs, slowly starting to do the buttons on Lexa’s shirt back up.

“It seems like we keep getting interrupted by ringing phones while we’re trying to secretly make out.”

“I know, baby. It's probably for the best, though. We’ll need to get back out and check for postings soon.”

Lexa hums in agreement as Clarke finishes with Lexa’s shirt, buttoned correctly unlike last time.

Clarke sighs as she climbs off of the brunette’s lap and straightens her dress out. Lexa stands up, grabbing their bag.

They sneak out of the side entrance of the auditorium and make their way back to the postings hallway. The postings aren't up yet, but they almost certainly will be soon.

The pair leans against a wall, their hands casually linked between them. Lexa is telling a story about how she accidentally hit her father in the face with a softball once while they were playing catch.

When Lexa’s story is done, Clarke starts talking about how she snuck a kitten into her room when she was eleven and managed to take care of her for a month before her parents found out. (Jake has a soft spot for cats, so he let Clarke keep her. Clarke named the kitten Coconut.)

She’s right in the middle of explaining how she fed Coconut when the last person that she ever wants to talk to walks up to them. Finn. Again.

“Clarke, hey. I just wanted to ask if you still have my phone number. You know, it would be really great to catch up with you again. Of all of the things that I left behind in Polis, I miss you the most.”

“I don't have a phone,” Clarke says, her phone in her free hand and clearly visible. Lexa sends him a glare, which he doesn't notice. Clarke is pretty sure that he hasn't even noticed Lexa yet.

“But… You're holding a phone and-“

“You're being super fucking creepy, Finn. You should get away now before I have to make you,” Lexa says, her tone low and vaguely threatening.

Finn turns towards Lexa, looking like he just noticed her presence. “You haven't changed a bit. You're still a bossy bitch. How about you get going and leave Clarke and I to talk, hmm?”

Lexa stands up straight, pulling herself up to her full height. (Which is still five or six inches shorter than Finn, but she’s trying.)

“I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I'm pretty sure that Clarke doesn't want anything to do with you. Leave us alone before I have to hit you.”

Finn barks out surprised laughter. “Really? You're tiny. Do you really think that you could take me in a fight?”

Lexa looks completely offended. “Dude, her mom runs a boxing gym. Lexa teaches a self defense class,” Clarke says, almost completely disinterested in Finn. Her focus is trained on her phone, where she’s scrolling through her camera roll looking for a good picture of Coconut when she was a kitten.

“She has no reason to be butting into our conversation, Clarke! She has no right to be pissed at me for talking to you!” Clarke sighs, closing the camera roll on her phone.

“Well, you actually butted into our conversation,” Clarke says as she gently tugs on the sleeve of Lexa’s shirt, trying to get her to stand down. “And she has every right to want you to stop hitting on me. Because, you know, we’re kind of dating.”

He looks between the two of them, judging how close they’re standing together and the home screen of Clarke’s apparently nonexistent phone, which is a picture of Lexa grinning at the camera with Coconut cradled in her arms.

He notices that the jacket that Clarke is wearing is Lexa’s, and a braided leather bracelet on Lexa’s wrist that he knows belongs to Clarke.

Finn scoffs, crossing his arms across his chest. “Really, Clarke? You're settling for the uptight bitch who doesn't even have a real family.”

And just like that the fight leaves Lexa and her shoulders slump. She seems to be trying to make herself look as small as possible.

It does the opposite to Clark. This time she’s in Finn’s space, jabbing a finger into his chest. Her voice is dangerously low. “Finn, you motherfucker, Lexa’s family is the most supportive and loving family that I have ever met. If you think that her family isn't real then you’ve obviously never seen them together. And if you think that I ever want to talk to you again after this, you’ve never been more wrong.”

He huffs and opens his mouth like he’s about to say something. “Finn, I swear to god, I will punch you in your pretty little face if you don't leave right now,” Clarke interrupts, jabbing at his chest again.

Finn scoffs, walking away while shaking his head. Clarke takes a deep breath before turning to face Lexa. She’s slumped against the wall, her head down and her hands fiddling with the ends of her sleeves.

Clarke gently grabs Lexa’s arms, stepping close to her. “Lexa, baby, don't listen to him. Your family is real, okay? Gustus and Indra love you with all their hearts and they are your parents.”

Lexa nods, her head still bowed. “I'm fine,” she murmurs, her voice watery.

“Oh, baby,” Clarke murmurs, pulling Lexa into her arms. Lexa immediately presses her face into Clarke’s neck, wrapping her arms around Clarke’s middle.

Clarke holds Lexa, softly stroking her hair. “You're okay, baby. Just ignore him and everything he said. You aren't a bad person. Your family is real.”

Lexa pulls back and although she refuses to meet Clarke's gaze, Clarke can see that her eyes are red and watery.

“I’m okay. And my family is real,” she repeats, nodding along with the words. She mumbles it one more time, almost like she’s trying to convince herself.

“That's it. Good,” Clarke says, pulling Lexa back into her. They stay like that, holding each other. They reluctantly part when they see a coach from one of the other schools walking up with a stack of papers and tape.

Clarke and Lexa search the Public Forum page, findings their codes. They've broken to quarterfinals and they're up against a Mount Weather team again.

They make their way to the room that they’ll be debating in, Lexa wiping at her eyes. She clears her throat, trying to forget everything that Finn had said.

Which is pretty hard to do when they make it to their room and find that their opponent is none other than Finn Collins.

“Goddamnit,” Clarke mutters as Lexa slumps against the wall again. “Baby, don't worry. We’re better than him and this is your chance to smack him down, okay?”

Lexa nods, glaring over Clarke’s head at Finn, who gives a sweet smile and waves at her.

“Floppy haired bitch boy won't know what hit him. I am going to be ruthless.” She says it just loud enough that he can hear her.

They watch as a pretty girl walks up to him, running her hand along his shoulders and down his arm. Her dress is practically the opposite of professional and businesslike, which is sort of required in this professional and businesslike environment.

Finn’s grin is slimy as he settles his hand low on her back. He shoots Clarke a glance and winks- Clarke isn't sure why. Seeing him with his hands all over another girl wouldn't make her want to talk to him, which seems to be his ulterior motive.

Lexa scoffs. “I'm surprised that a coach hasn't yelled at that girl already. I mean, you got yelled at because your heels were too high once.”

“Mount Weather has power. And to be fair, those heels were ridiculous. They were killing my feet.”

Lexa just hums in response, staring off into the distance. She isn't really looking at anything in particular, just getting lost in her thoughts.

Clarke can only take a few minutes of Lexa’s silence before she starts playing with Lexa’s fingers to get her attention. Clarke is sure that if she has to listen to Finn and that girl whispering and giggling at each other for any longer, she might go crazy.

“Lexa, baby. What are you thinking about?” Clarke laces their fingers together. Lexa looks down, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Nothing. I'm perfectly fine. Just thinking about, uh, the evidence we have in our pro case.”

Clarke gives her a long look. “Lexa. Please let me know what’s bugging you.”

Lexa lets her gaze fall to the floor, her long hair falling messily around her face. “Well, I was just thinking about… you know, some of the stuff Collins said earlier. About you… about you settling for me and how I'm uptight and bossy. Which is true, really. I can be a really big bitch, like, all the time.”

Clarke hears the hint of insecurity in Lexa’s tone. “Lexa, please don't listen to anything that troll said. You can be a bit bossy sometimes, but you have good intentions. And that's not something that would make me break up with you. Nothing would, because you're amazing and you're a good person, and you care about me wholeheartedly. I'm not settling for you and I don't want you to ever feel like you're below me. We are partners, and we’re equals. That’s the entire idea of partnerships and relationships.”

Lexa looks away, clearing her throat. “Thank you. I just, um, when he said all that stuff it just made me realize how much of it was true, you know? I know I kind of have control problems and I worry that I make you feel like I'm trying to control you or change you. Which I'm not. You're… I like you how you are.”

“I know, I know. I have never once felt like you're trying to control me. Don't worry about that, Lexa. Let's just focus on the debate for right now, okay?”

Lexa nods and they wait for a few more minutes before the judge arrives. Finn holds the door open, smirking at Lexa. She takes a deep breath to keep from smacking him in the face.

She puts on a smile as she sits down and nods to the judge. Clarke writes their names and speaker codes on the whiteboard before sitting next to Lexa.

“You ready, baby?” Clarke whispers.

Lexa nods, reaching out and squeezing Clarke’s leg.

—

They lose. When they check the postings for semi-finals, their codes aren't there. Finn’s is, along with his partner’s.

Lexa sits at the table, staring at a textbook. She ignores everyone, instead focusing on scribbling down notes as she reads.

Clarke sits next to her, doodling on a piece of paper. She keeps some space between them, getting the feeling that Lexa wants to be as alone as she can be for a while.

Clarke finishes her drawing of Coconut and starts drawing Benji next to her. Lexa sighs heavily, closing her textbook.

“Stupid goddamn history bullshit.” Lexa lays her head down on her textbook, looking up at Clarke. “What’re you drawing?”

Clarke slides the paper closer to Lexa. “Benji. Why are you cursing out your history book?”

“Because history is stupid and I don't want to do it anymore.”

“History is your favorite subject.”

“Still stupid,” Lexa mumbles, closing her eyes. Clarke puts her hand on Lexa’s back hesitantly, waiting for any sign that the touch is unwelcome.

When none comes, she rubs soothing circles into Lexa’s back. “Don't be too upset. We both know that slimebag didn't deserve to win. And we still placed. Which means that we’ll both letter again.”

“Still can't believe you actually got a letterman jacket for debate.”

“Um, bitch, you did too. And now we’ll get a little bar to put on the letter. It'll be cute.”

Lexa chuckles, looking up at her girlfriend. “I think that cute is probably the last thing we can describe those jackets as. Warm, I’d say. But not cute.”

“You're cute, though.” Lexa chuckles again, sitting up to press a chaste kiss against Clarke’s lips. “See? Proof.”

“Hmm. You sure know how to make me feel better. I'm sorry that I've been so… emotional today.”

Lexa scrunched her nose up, like the thought of being emotional is offensive to her. “It's unlike you, the stone cold Commander. But being emotional isn't a bad thing. Quite the opposite, really.”

She rolls her eyes. “Ugh. I'll leave being the emotional one to you. I'll just have occasional breakdowns like today.”

“I really feel like that's not healthy for you. Which is strange because you're a very healthy person.”

“I'm healthy so I can beat up dicks like Finn.”

“Please don't actually beat Finn up. I know you box regularly and all that but you're half a foot shorter than him and fifty pounds lighter than he is.”

“That's my advantage. I'm quicker than he is. He won't know what hit him. Literally!”

Clarke kisses Lexa again just to shut her up. “You aren't going to beat up anyone, baby. If you get into a fight and hurt your lip then we won't be able to do this while it heals.”

Lexa hums into the next kiss, her hand gently grasping at Clarke’s arm. “Okay, okay. I think that you've convinced me.”

“We could probably use just a bit more convincing.”

“I think I like where this is going.”

—

They hold hands as they stand on the stage together. It's really not uncommon to see kids holdings hands during awards. Although it is usually just kids from the same school who are friends.

Clarke is just proud of them for how far they did make it. She knows that Lexa will beat herself up over it, but it doesn't matter to Clarke. She joined debate to have fun and, hey, she got a cute girlfriend out of it.

“And in fifth place, from Polis High School, Lexa Woods and Clarke Griffin!” The Polis team explodes in applause as the head coach from Azgeda walks across the stage to shake their hands and give them each a certificate.

“God, she’s creepy,” Clarke whispers as soon as she’s out of earshot. Her hand was uncomfortably cold, much like her personality.

“Yeah. I'm pretty convinced that she’s a soulless robot.”

Clarke chuckles, stroking her the back of Lexa’s hand with her thumb. “Probably. You're too cute.”

“Thank you, babe. You’re absolutely adorable. Shh now, let's listen to the rest of this.”

—

They get dinner after the awards ceremony then pack onto the bus to head home. Clarke and Lexa curl into each other and are almost immediately out like lights.

Clarke's head is tucked under Lexa’s chin and their arms are wrapped securely around each other.

“Ain't this just the cutest damn thing you've ever seen?” Raven jokes. She and Octavia are sitting across from the sleeping couple.

Some extremely oblivious freshman sitting in front of Raven pops his head up, looking back at Clarke and Lexa.

“I know! They're such good friends.”

Raven and Octavia share a long look before O looks back at the kid. “Harold… they're lesbians.”

“What? And my name isn't Harold.”

“Jesus Christ, kid,” Raven mutters.

—

Octavia wakes them up when they get to the school so Raven doesn't get punched in the face for real this time.

“Clarke. Lexa. Wake up, guys. We’re back home.” She gently shakes Clarke’s shoulder. She stirs in Lexa’s arms, blinking her eyes open.

“Huh? O?”

“Yeah, hon. We’re back home. Wake up your sleeping beauty and get your asses off of the bus.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Clarke gently untangles herself from Lexa before tapping on her shoulder. “Time to wake up, baby.”

Lexa whines, turning herself away from Clarke. “Nope.”

Clarke chuckles at her girlfriend. “Okay, Lex. C’mon, get up. I can see your dad.”

Lexa shakes her head, whining again. “Too comfortable. Goodnight.” Clarke leans over and kisses Lexa’s cheek, smiling slightly.

“Wake up.”

“Jesus, fine.”

Lexa stands up, grabbing onto the back of the seat in front of her when she stumbles. “You okay, baby?”

“Yeah. Still tired. Naps are the devil.” She straightens herself out and rubs at her eyes. She stumbles out of the bus with Clarke behind her making sure she doesn't fall on her face.

Gustus is there with her suitcase, a large smile on his face. “Lexa, my dear. I am so proud of you.” He pulls her into a hug, enveloping her in his arms. “And you as well, Clarke. You two did very good.” He holds an arm out, inviting Clarke to join in the bear hug.

She grins and wraps her arm around Gustus. “Thanks, Mr. Woods. Lex and I work really well together.”

He gives the girls one last squeeze before releasing them. “You may call me Gustus, Clarke. Mr. Woods is so formal.”

“Good luck, Dad. She’ll probably call you Mr. Woods for the rest of her life,” Lexa snorts, unconsciously reaching out to thread her fingers through Clarke’s.

Clarke flushes while Gustus laughs, loud and deep. “Ah, I don't doubt that. Clarke, dear, do you have a ride?”

“My dad should be coming. Thank you, though.”

Lexa tugs on Clarke’s hand, pulling her closer. “We’ll stay until he gets here. It's late. Don't want you here alone.”

“You're too sweet,” Clarke says, leaning up to kiss Lexa’s cheek. Lexa grins, letting go of Clarke’s hand to throw her arm around her shoulder.

“Mm, well, Dad did always tell me to be nice to pretty girls. I think it’s worked out pretty well.”

“It has.”

Lexa and her father stand with Clarke until Jake pulls into the parking lot. Lexa presses a sweet kiss to Clarke’s lips before letting her go.

“I'll text you in the morning, baby. Sleep well.”

“You too, Clarke. Goodnight, babe.”


	4. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa use the time in between tournaments to go on a few dates. Featuring Lexa's emo phase, Edna and Harriet, and blanket nests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy another chapter has arrived. As always, a HUGE thank you to everyone who reads, comments, leaves kudos, etc. (A special shoutout to Cloneception for your fantastic comments. You never fail to make me smile ;) ) Anyway, I this chapter isn't complete trash. My pages app decided to be a dickhead and deleted the first three thousand words of this chapter so that was super nice. In any case, read on and enjoy! You can hit me up on my tumblr @memesdreamsandbeans Yes that is actually my username thank you

Chapter Four

Clarke <3 (11:24 AM)- are you free at 2:30 ish?

Lex <3 (11:25 AM)- yeah I have to take the small one to a soccer game at like six but I'm free all day before that

Clarke <3 (11:25 AM)- can I pick you up at two

Lex <3 (11:26 AM)- lemme ask my mom real quick

Lex <3 (11:33 AM)- she says yes and also that she wants to make you cookies do you like peanut butter cookies

Clarke <3 (11:35 AM)- yes lol I do, they're my dad’s favorite. He’ll be ecstatic. So I'll pick you up at two?

Lex <3 (11:37 AM)- yes you can. Can I know what we’re doing?

Clarke <3 (11:37 AM)- no, it's a surprise. You don't need to dress up, just look cute.

Lex <3 (11:38 AM)- um I'm always cute??

Clarke <3 (11:39 AM)- yes that's the point baby

Lex <3 (11:50 AM)- oh okay thank you :). See you at two

—

Lexa sits on her front porch at 1:55, holding a Tupperware container full of peanut butter cookies. She’s wearing a red and black plaid shirt over a Hozier t-shirt along with black jeans.

Clarke steps out of her car, grinning at Lexa. “Well, don't you just look adorable and slightly emo.”

Lexa stands up, handing Clarke the Tupperware container. “Don't you just look adorable and annoying. I did not have an emo phase.”

Clarke kisses Lexa on the cheek, chucking softly. “Oh, baby, yes you did. It's okay, though. You're past it. Mostly, it seems like you still like the clothes.”

“Okay, dick.” Lexa returns the kiss, the bright smile on her face betraying the happiness from seeing her girlfriend.

“Are we ready to go, baby? I'll stop making fun of you and your emo phase.”

“Yeah, let’s go. Do I get to know what we’re doing now?”

“Nope. Still a surprise.” The couple gets into Clarke’s car. Clarke reaches behind her and sets the cookies down on the backseat. “By the way, tell your mom thank you for the cookies.”

“Of course. Let's get going.” As Clarke drives, she sings along with the radio. It makes Lexa laugh, which is a sound that Clarke wants to hear all the time.

“Clarke, you're the cutest person I've ever met. How did I get so lucky?”

“I’d say that I'm the lucky one. I mean… you're a fantastic girlfriend.” Clarke glances over at Lexa, smiling warmly.

There’s nothing but pure affection in Lexa’s eyes as she looks at Clarke. “Maybe we’re both lucky.”

“Maybe. Sometimes I just can't believe that I actually didn't like you. Who knows, maybe if I had just given you a chance, we would've been dating long before this.”

Lexa hums softly. “Could've been. I don't regret a single moment of this, though. I don't regret a single moment of us.”

When they stop at a red light, Clarke leans over to press a quick, chaste kiss to Lexa’s lips. “See? Fantastic.”

“You deserve fantastic. You deserve the best you can get.”

“Well, it's a good thing that I have you, then. I'm pretty sure you're better than the best.” Clarke pulls into a parking lot and shifts her car into park.

Lexa leans over and gives Clarke another kiss, this one longer and more heated. They separate after a moment, Lexa pressing a quick kiss to the tip of Clarke’s nose.

“You're adorable. So, you ready for our date? You're going to dig it,” Clarke says. Lexa looks up, trying to figure out where exactly they are.

It doesn't take her long. “The… bookstore?”

“Yeah. You're a gigantic nerd who loves music and reading, so I thought that we could each get a book and a CD and exchange them.”

“Well, that's just adorable. And a pretty good idea. I do dig it.”

“Good! C'mon, let's go.” Clarke gets out of the car, beaming at Lexa as she also gets out. 

Lexa catches one of Clarke’s hands and twines their fingers together. “Someone seems excited.”

“I am. I love spending time with you and we’re on a cute date. How could I not be excited?”

“Mm, good point.” They walk into the bookstore, Lexa immediately grinning at the sights of the bookshelves stuffed with books.

Clarke thinks that it's the cutest thing she’s ever seen. “You're such a nerd. Okay, so we’ll split up, look for a book and a CD, and meet back up here. In, say, fifteen minutes.”

“Sounds like a plan. Go?”

“Go,” Clarke confirms. Lexa kisses her forehead before she sets off, disappearing into the store.

Clarke picks a row of shelves and is pleased to find what looks like non-fiction, historical books. Which is exactly the kind of book that she knows her dork likes.

She pulls a couple down from the shelves, flipping through them. She finally decided on an interesting looking one about Nordic mythology.

She moves to the back of the store, where there are displays full of CD’s. She ends up picking a CD by some hipster-y band that Clarke vaguely remembers hearing about. 

Clarke walks back to the front of the store, where Lexa is idly flipping through the book she holds.

She looks up as Clarke approaches. “Hi. You good to go?”

“Mhm. Did I make you wait long?”

“No, just a few minutes. So the book I found is actually this biography about an artist that seemed like it would be right up your alley.”

“Well, the book I found is about mythology. I know how much you like history and stuff. You know, ‘cause you're a nerd.”

“History is interesting. Knowing what came before us is important, Clarke.”

“I know, baby.” They walk up to the counter and set their items down. “It's adorable how much you like history.”

Lexa places her hand low on Clarke’s back, rubbing small circles there. “Well, I'm glad you see it that way. Aden likes to tease me about it.”

“Aden likes to tease you about everything. Pretty sure the only time that he’s not teasing you is when you're chauffeuring him around.”

“Very true.”

Clarke doesn't even give Lexa a chance to think about paying, saying that she can feel free to pay for their next date. She smiles at the cashier as she hands Clarke their bag.

They walk out of the bookstore, Clarke swinging their joined hands between them.

“Hey, are you hungry?”

“I'm always hungry, Clarke.”

“Good point. Do you want to go get sandwiches at The Hideout?” She asks, referring to a small café that's a few minutes away from their high school.

“Nothing has ever sounded better. Let's go.”

—

“Goddamn tomatoes.”

“You could've said no tomatoes.”

Clarke picks another tomato off of her sandwich, tossing it into Lexa’s wrapper. “I didn't know that it had tomatoes on it. Whatever, you can just have two times the tomatoes.”

“What's your thing with tomatoes? They're good, Clarke.” As if to punctuate her point, Lexa opens her sandwich and puts the tomato on it.

Clarke looks at her girlfriend like she’s insane. “Um, they're disgusting? You only like them because you're a health freak and they're good for you or whatever.”

“I like them because they taste good.” Lexa rolls her eyes. The girls are sitting on the hood of Clarke’s car, looking out over the town. After they got their sandwiches, they drive a few minutes out of town to a lookout point. 

Soft music is playing from Lexa’s phone as they argue about tomatoes. “They don't. They look like apples that gave up on life and became depressed and they taste like battery acid.”

“What the actual fuck are you high on?”

“The truth, Lexa. I'm high on the truth.”

“Yeah, okay. Just finish your sandwich.”

Clarke rolls her eyes. She finishes her sandwich, occasionally pausing to throw a tomato at Lexa. She only misses once, having thrown it too hard. The tomato slice ended up on the other side of Lexa, on the hood.

“Ah, gross. Lex, get it off of my car before it gets contaminated.”

Lexa complies, picking up the tomato. “What the hell do you want me to do with the dirty tomato?”

“Throw it off the cliff?” Clarke suggests, shrugging. Lexa seems to contemplate it for a moment before she hands Clarke her sandwich and hops off of the car.

She stands a few feet away from the edge, winding up to throw the offending fruit. “Okay… let's see how far I can throw it.”

Lexa throws the tomato and both of them watch it fall. “Wait, where did it go? Lex, can you see it?”

“Yeah, yeah, it ended up in a tree. Dammit.”

“That sucks. Hey, nice throw though.” Lexa returns to the car, wiping tomato juice off of her hand with a napkin.

“Thank you.” Clarke hands her sandwich back. (After she steals a piece of chicken, of course.)

They finish their lunch without another argument on sandwich toppings. Clarke grabs the container of cookies from her backseat and they share a few.

“Hey, you wanna go hang back at my place for a while?”

“Does hang mean make out?”

“Of course, Clarke. You have met me, right?”

“Good point. I absolutely want to go hang with you. Unless your parents are still home. Then I want to actually just hang because your parents scare the shit out of me.”

“What? Why?”

“Dude, your dad is, like, a foot taller than both of us. He’s terrifying. And your mom runs a boxing gym! You can't even act like your parents aren't scary.”

“My dad is a gigantic teddy bear and my mom likes you more than she likes me. I think that we’re safe. And anyway, they said that they were meeting up with some friends. So we’re safe to ‘hang’.”

“Fantastic. C’mon, the longer we wait the less time we have to hang.”

“We’re stereotypical hormonal teenagers, huh?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

—

Lexa spins Clarke around to push her back against the wall, reaching out to lock it. Clarke’s lips attach to Lexa’s neck as she runs her hands along Lexa’s arms.

The taller girl chuckles, her fingers sliding up under Clarke’s sweater. “Eager, are we?”

“Well, have you seen yourself? I think that anyone would be eager with you.”

“Aw, thank you. Just for the record, you're the only one I want to be eager with me. Everyone else can go and be jealous of my stunning girlfriend.”

Clarke grins, pressing a kiss to the corner of Lexa’s mouth. “You're a charmer. And I think that we should stop talking now.”

“I think that you should make me.”

Clarke raises an eyebrow, her grin only growing. “Is that so, Ms. Woods?”

“That is so. Can we find a way for you to make me be quiet?”

“I think I know the perfect way,” Clarke says a moment before pressing her lips to Lexa’s. The kiss is hard and insistent, but not unpleasant. No, it's the exact opposite of unpleasant.

Clarke pushes at Lexa’s shoulders and together they move backwards until the backs of Lexa’s knees hit the mattress and she sinks onto the bed.

She gazes up at Clarke, a beam of light falling across her face from the window. Her eyes are lit up as she stares at the goddess in front of her.

Clarke gently takes Lexa’s face in her hands and guides their lips back together. This kiss is slower, calmer.

They fall back onto the bed together, Clarke straddling her girlfriend's hips. Lexa clutches at Clarke’s arms, leaning up ever so slightly to keep contact.

They don't feel as rushed as they have before. The girls are content to take it slow, savoring the feeling of their connected lips.

Lexa’s breath hitches when Clarke’s lips leave hers and trail down her neck. Clarke nips at her neck, smirking at the whimper it elicits from Lexa.

“You're… god, Clarke.”

“Why, thank you.”

—

“Lexa! We need to go!” Aden yells through the door as he pounds on it. The girls both jump. Clarke sits up, using Lexa’s shoulders to push herself up.

“What?”

“You need to take me to my soccer game! Come on, we’re gonna be late!”

“Oh, fuck. I completely forgot,” Lexa mutters, covering her face with her hands. She also sits up, wrapping one arm around Clarke’s back.

Clarke sighs heavily, climbing off of Lexa’s lap. “Why do we always get interrupted when the clothes start to come off?”

She bends down, picking both of Lexa’s shirts up off of the floor. She hands them to Lexa, who quickly gets dressed.

“Because we have absolutely terrible time management skills?” Lexa shrugs. She also climbs off of the bed, stretching her arms above her head.

Clarke nods in agreement, searching for her bra, which has somehow ended up halfway across the room on top of Lexa’s desk.

“Hey, do you see my sweater anywhere? I can't find it,” Clarke says, peeking underneath Lexa’s bed.

Lexa is about to answer when another loud bang comes from the door. It sounds like Aden kicked it this time. “Lexa!”

“Just a minute, Aden!” Lexa yells back. She joins Clarke in the search for her sweater, which seems to have gone completely missing.

Clarke is frustrated and just about ready to raid Lexa’s closet when Lexa finds it. “Oh, heh… it’s on top of the bookshelf. Let me just… get that.”

She reaches up and plucks the shirt off of the top of the bookshelf, handing it to Clarke. She sighs, shrugging her shirt back on.

“Did you really have to fling it across the room?”

“I might've gotten a little bit too excited. Sorry.”

“Mm, I'm not really complaining. You have… very talented hands.”

Lexa grins at Clarke, opening her door. Aden’s foot is pulled back, like he was getting ready to kick the door again.

“About time, Lexa! Hi, Clarke.”

Clarke smiles at Aden, ruffling his hair. “Hey. Sorry we made you wait so long.”

“It's okay, Clarke.” He’s grinning. Lexa snorts, rolling her eyes at her little brother. If anyone also has ruffled his hair, they would've gotten a swift kick to the shins.

“He totally has a crush on you,” Lexa whispers into Clarke’s ear as they watch Aden pick up his equipment bag and run down the stairs. 

“You Woods have a type,” Clarke whispers back. She presses a quick kiss just underneath Lexa’s ear before following Aden down the stairs.

“I guess so. Hey, can we take your car? I don't want to shove all three of us into my truck. Unless you don't want to go. Sorry, I didn't even ask if you want to go. You probably don't want to go.”

Clarke laughs, bumping Lexa with her shoulder. “Hey, chill out. Of course I wanna go. And of course we can take my car.”

“Okay. Sorry, I got a little bit ahead of myself.”

“Don't worry about it, baby. Hey, Aden, we’re taking my car,” she calls to Aden, who’s currently throwing his equipment bag into the back of Lexa’s truck.

He groans, stepping up onto the tire so he can lean into the bed of the truck and grab his bag again. 

“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping.”

“Clarke, stop it with the damn Mean Girls quotes,” Lexa says, grinning at her girlfriend. She knows that Mean Girls is one of Clarke’s favorite movies. Clarke quotes it whenever she can. 

“Boo, you whore,” Clarke quips, watching as Aden clambers into her backseat. He tosses his equipment bag onto the floor before buckling up.

“God, you're the biggest dork. Ade, you ready to go? Buckled up?”

“Yes, Mom,” Aden replies, rolling his eyes. “You don't need to remind me.”

“Of course I do. As your big sister, it's my job to be annoying and overprotective. And to embarrass you in front of your friends.”

“Let's just go before I throw my cleats at you.”

“It's times like these when you two make me glad to be an only child.”

—

Clarke and Lexa sit on the bleachers, watching the kids below run with the ball. Clarke picks at a bag of cotton candy while Lexa leans into her side, an arm wrapped around her. 

They cheer when a boy from Aden’s team scores a goal. Clarke can feel her girlfriend grinning against her shoulder. 

“You're proud of him.”

“Of course I am. As much as we tease each other, I love him a lot. Even though he’s entering his moody pre-teen stage.”

“He’ll get over it and be chill soon. You're a good big sister, Lex.” Lexa turns her head bashfully, pressing into her neck. Clarke can feel a smile against her skin.

Lexa presses a sweet kiss against Clarke’s neck. “Yeah. I drive him places and I have an amazing girlfriend who he has a crush on.” 

“The basics of having an older sister.”

“Mhm,” Lexa hums distractedly, turning her attention back to the game. No goals are made for a while, but one boy does fall down and scrape his knees. 

Clarke can't really tell what is going on, but she knows how much it means to Aden. He’s passionate, and Clarke respects that.

They cheer again as Aden scores a goal. Lexa’s eyes are shining with pride as she shouts her brother’s name. He looks up to the bleachers, grinning at Clarke and Lexa.

“He’s good,” Clarke says, watching as he steals the ball from the other team.

“Yeah, he is. Lots and lots of practice. Lots and lots of scraped knees and bruised shins. It's been worth it, though. You know, I was, like, seven when we adopted him. He was just a tiny little baby and I was just so excited. I had someone to play with when he got bigger, y’know? And all he wanted to play was soccer. He asked for a soccer ball on his fourth birthday. So I was like, okay, if soccer is what he wants to play, soccer is what we’re gonna play.”

Lexa laughs a bit, staring out into the field. Clarke finds the memory absolutely adorable- the image of a little eleven year old Lexa kicking a soccer ball to baby Aden.

“That's too cute. He's lucky to have you as a sister, Lex.”

“I'm lucky to have him as a brother. He's a good kid.”

“Do you… want kids?” Clarke asks, playing with her fingers as she waits for the answer. Lexa looks up at her, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Maybe someday, Clarke.” Lexa leans her head back onto Clarke’s shoulder, hugging her close.

Clarke chuckles, pressing a long kiss to the top of her girlfriend’s head. Maybe someday.

—

“You did really great, Aden. I'm super proud,” Clarke says, giving the young boy a congratulatory high five.

He beams at the two girls, in a terrific mood after his team’s big win. “Thanks, Clarke. I'm super glad that you were there.”

“Well, I'll be sure to come to as many of your games as possible. Maybe I'll actually start to understand how this whole game works.”

Aden laughs at Clarke’s comment. They stop at Clarke’s car, Lexa throwing her brother’s equipment bag into the backseat.

“Don't worry, Clarke. I can explain it to you.”

Aden is all too happy to teach Clarke the rules of soccer while they drive back to the Woods household. Clarke pretends to understand what he’s saying. 

They pull up outside of Lexa and Aden’s home. Aden is out in a flash, running to go tell his parents all about his victory. Lexa lingers, smiling over at her girlfriend.

“That boy adores you.”

“I adore him. And I adore you. Can we chalk this date up as a success?”

“I think that we can, Ms. Griffin. I'll have you know that I'm already planning our next date.”

“I'll be looking forward to that. You better impress me.”

“Oh, I will.”

—

“Glaring at the computer won’t help anything, babe,” Lexa whispers into Clarke’s ear. Clarke groans, sliding her hands down her face.

“This new topic is just so confusing,” she says, laying her head down on the desk. Lexa rubs her back softly.

“I know, Clarke. We still have quite a while to get our cases done, though. Look, stressing about this is just going to make us burn out. How about we just go out for a while?”

Clarke lifts her head and meets Lexa’s eyes. “Go out?”

“Yeah, babe. I'll take you on that date. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Clarke says, nodding. She ejects her flash drive and shuts off the computer, sighing softly. Every month, the Public Forum topic changes, and the topic for December is proving to be frustratingly complicated.

“Kane, Clarke and I are going to get outta here. We aren't getting anything productive done.”

Kane nods, not looking up from his computer. “Okay. Have a good day, girls. Oh, tomorrow we’re gathering the PF squad together for a brainstorm session. Can you two be there?”

“Of course,” Clarke says. They leave the debate room, Lexa grabbing Clarke’s hand once they're in the hallway.

They walk down the stairs and out of the school together. Pretty much everyone is already gone at this point, and the parking lot is almost empty save for Lexa’s truck and Emori’s car. 

Clarke and Lexa get into the truck, reluctantly letting go of each other’s hand. “So where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see, babe. I'm going to make sure that you have a good time, okay? You've been so stressed out lately.”

“I know,” Clarke sighs. “It's just… this new topic is kicking my ass and all the ACT prep that we have to do, along with all of my other classes and worrying about college…”

Clarke trails off as she leans her head against the window. Lexa frowns, glancing over at her. “It's okay. I'm going to distract you for a while.”

Clarke nods but doesn't say anything more. She closes her eyes, trying to focus on the music that Lexa is playing and not the stress that she feels.

The truck comes to a stop about ten minutes later. Lexa shuts the engine off. “Okay, babe, we’re here.”

Clarke looks up and can't help but grin. “You're actually taking me on an aquarium date?”

“Of course I am. Come on now, there’s a lot to see and not a lot of time.”

Lexa pays for the admission and Clarke drags her off in the direction of the otters. They stop in front of their tank, watching the little creatures swim around.

“Remember when you were falling asleep and you said that you were like an otter?” Clarke asks.

Lexa’s cheek flush at the memory. “Well, yeah, they hold onto each other when they sleep so they don't float away from their family. They're incredibly social, actually.”

“You're so cute. Why do you know so much about otters?”

“I just like otters. And I watched this really interesting documentary about them this one time.”

Clarke shakes her head, laughing. “I'm dating the biggest dork in Polis.”

“True,” Lexa says. They visit tanks full of little ocean fish, and Clarke points out a clownfish, calling it Nemo, of course.

They see a couple of sharks and a manta ray before Clarke suggests going to the gift shop to find a souvenir.

Clarke laughs at a shark hoodie while Lexa skims through the informational books. Clarke roams around the shop, eventually finding a display of little plush toys. 

She picks out two goldfish toys and brings them to Lexa, grinning widely. “Just look at how adorable they are.”

Lexa chuckles, taking one of the little goldfish. “Okay, okay. We can each get a goldfish.” Clarke silently cheers, pumping her fist into the air.

Lexa buys the goldfish and they leave the gift shop to wander around some more. “Are you going to name your fish, Lex?”

“Um, I don't know. Are you going to name yours?” Lexa looks down at the toy in her hands. In all honesty, it's pretty adorable.

“Yes. Her name is Harriet.”

“Harriet is a fantastic name, baby,” Lexa says. Well, now she has to name her fish. “Um, I'll name mine… Edna.”

“Edna is great. Harriet and Edna the fishes.” Clarke laughs, bumping their fish toys together. 

They see the penguins, which Clarke finds absolutely charming. Lexa wraps her arms around Clarke from behind, resting her chin on Clarke’s shoulder. 

Clarke stares at the penguins, laughing quietly as Lexa repeatedly plants kisses against her neck.

“Baby, that tickles,” Clarke says, squirming slightly in Lexa’s grip. Lexa grins against Clarke’s neck, continuing her kiss attack. Clarke reaches behind her, playfully pushing at Lexa’s waist.

Lexa doesn't budge, she just tightens her arms around Clarke’s waist as she nips at her pulse point.

Clarke lets out a small squeak, half in surprise, half in delight. Lexa does it again, the gentle scrape of her teeth against Clarke’s skin causing another squeak.

“Lex! Oh my god, quit that before you get up kicked out of here.”

Lexa chuckles, leaving one last lingering kiss on Clarke’s neck. “It's not my fault that my girlfriend is the actual picture of perfection. I can't keep my hands off of you.”

Clarke turns around in Lexa’s arms, wrapping her own arms around Lexa’s neck. “Oh, really? That makes me think that we should go and find some empty parking lot and make out in your truck.”

“That's the best idea that I've heard in a while. Let's go, babe.”

—

“Have I ever told you how much I love your hands? Because I really fucking love your hands.”

“I think that you've mentioned it once or twice. I'm always a sucker for compliments from pretty girls, though.”

“I’d better be the only pretty girl complimenting your hands.”

“Don't worry, Clarke, you are. Although this one time a little old lady did tell me that I have really soft hands and she made me give her some of my lotion.”

“She has a point. Your lotion is really awesome. And it smells so good.”

“You've also mentioned that. Oh, we’re here.”

Lexa pulls into the ice cream parlor’s parking lot. After their emergency make out session, Clarke had convinced Lexa into taking her for ice cream.

“Are you sure?” Lexa had asked, trying to smooth her unruly curls down. “It’s kind of December. It's been snowing on and off this entire week.”

“It's never too cold for ice cream, Lex. Besides, if I get cold I have my own personal space heater.”

Clarke grins as they step into the ice cream shop. She remembers Jake taking her here when she was younger and she had done well on a test. This shop is full of fond memories with her father, and she would love to share those memories with Lexa. She would be partial to creating a few new memories, too.

They order their ice cream, cookie dough for Lexa and mint chocolate chip for Clarke. Clarke teases her girlfriend about her choice in flavor, asking if she wasn't afraid of salmonella due to uncooked cookie dough.

Lexa just rolls her eyes. “Let me live a little. My health freak side is screaming, but I'm forcing it to shut up.”

“I'm really honored that you've turned of your health freak-ness for me. For this date.”

“Yeah, don't get used to it,” Lexa replies as their dishes of ice cream arrive. They eat their ice cream, occasionally sneaking bites from each other’s.

Lexa reaches over with her spoon, stealing a bit of Clarke’s mint chocolate. And she brings it up to Clarke’s face and smears it all over her lips.

“Lexa,” Clarke chides, reaching for a napkin. Lexa covers Clarke's hand with hers, leaning across the table. She kisses Clarke, her free hand tilting Clarke’s chin up slightly.

“There you go,” Lexa whispers as she pulls back. Clarke chuckles softly, flipping her hand over so she can lace their fingers together.

“You just wanted to kiss me, huh? You didn't have to put ice cream all over my face to kiss me.”

“You thought that was adorable, don't even deny it.” Lexa grabs her spoon back from where she had dropped it into Clarke’s dish.

“Anything you do is adorable. Especially that.”

“I knew it. Finish up your ice cream, babe.”

They leave the ice cream shop and get back into the truck. “Hey, my mom wants me home.”

“No problem,” Lexa says. She drives Clarke to her house and parks outside. “Did I do my job?”

“Taking me home? Um, yeah.” Clarke is confused by Lexa’s question. What job?

“No, no, distracting you. Did I manage to distract you?”

“Oh,” Clarke chuckles. “Yes, you did. Good job, baby.” She leans over and connects their lips, tangling a hand in Lexa’s curls.

They don't want to separate, and the one kiss quickly turns into multiple heated kisses. Clarke reluctantly pulls away once Lexa’s hand starts to slip under her shirt.

“Believe me, I would love to continue this. But I really should go…” She trails off, kissing Lexa again. Lexa traces patterns onto Clarke’s stomach, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

It takes another fifteen minutes for Clarke to pull away fully. “Okay, okay, I really need to go. But I'll FaceTime you tonight, okay?”

Lexa nods, watching Clarke grab Harriet. “Okay. I had fun today.”

“I did too, baby. I've gotta go now before my mom gets even more suspicious and comes out here.”

Lexa nods, leaning back over for one last kiss. Clarke keeps it chaste and gently pushes Lexa away after a moment.

“Bye, babe. Talk to you tonight.”

Clarke waves, turning to walk into her house. She hears Lexa’s truck drive away behind her.

Clarke steps inside, dropping her backpack on the floor. She slips her shoes off and walks further into the house.

“Hey, mom,” Clarke says. Abby is sitting on the couch, watching Clarke intently.

“Hi, sweetheart. What were you and Lexa up to?”

Clarke walks into the kitchen and grabs a juice box from the fridge. She returns to the living room and drops down next to her mother, Harriet the fish in her lap.

“We left practice a little early and went to the aquarium. I was kinda stressed so she wanted to do something fun together to distract me. Look, we both got a fish.”

Abby smiles at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “I like that girl. She’s smart and she seems to care about you a lot.”

“She does. I care about her a lot too,” Clarke says, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “We went for ice cream, too.”

Abby focuses onto a spot on Clarke’s neck. “Clarke,” she begins, the slight warning in her tone startling her. “Are you having sex?”

“What? No, Mom, what makes you think that. I'm not having… Not having sex.” Clarke cringes at having to say that word out loud in front of her mother. 

“Then what's on your neck?” Clarke claps a hand over her neck, jumping up to run to the bathroom. She inspects the spot that her mother was looking at, finding a rather large hickey.

“Goddamnit, Lexa,” Clarke mumbles, shuffling her way back to the living room. Her mother sits with her arms crossed, an expression somewhere between disappointment and amusement on her face.

Clarke sits back down, clearing her throat. “Mom,” she says as she tries to mentally prepare for this conversation. “Lex and I aren't having sex. We were just… oh my god.”

She covers her face with her hands, letting out a long, low groan. Abby decides to take pity on her daughter. “Even if you are having sex, and I believe you when you say you aren't, I'm not upset. I like Lexa and I would like the two of you to be safe. I could get you some dental dams if you like.”

“No, Mom- wait, what the hell is a dental dam?”

Which is how Jake Griffin comes home to a daughter who looks like she wants to die and a wife saying “this is important, Clarke. You and your girlfriend should know about this!”

“Dad,” Clarke croaks, her face about three shades away from an unhealthy purple. “Please save me from this horrifying woman.”

“Abby, what did you do to our daughter?” He raises one eyebrow. To be honest, this has happened a couple of times before. He can only imagine what terrifying thing that his wife has been talking to Clarke about.

“I was just telling Clarke about dental dams. She and Lexa should really know about them! Safe sex is the best sex, Jake.”

“Why are you talking about safe sex to Clarke? Wait, what's a dental dam?”

“No, dad!” Clarke shouts. She's too late to stop the question and Abby launches into the explanation again. He drops down into an armchair, suddenly understanding why Clarke looks so terrified.

“I… why, Abby?”

“Take a look at her neck. Clarke, show your father your neck.”

“I am not having sex, just by the way,” Clarke says. Jake leans forward in his chair, suddenly interested. Clarke brushes her hair away from her neck, revealing the (frankly kind of big) hickey that Lexa had left.

He winces slightly. “Jesus, kiddo. Are you dating a vampire or what? You might want to get some ice on that.”

“I'll do that if Mom has decided that I've been tortured enough.”

“Go get some ice. I'll order some dental dams from Amazon.”

“Have fun with that,” Clarke mutters. She shuffles to the kitchen and grabs one of their many ice packs from the freezer. She wraps it up in a hand towel that was in another drawer and goes to hide away in her room.

She settles onto her bed, holding the ice pack to her neck. She grabs her phone from her pocket and FaceTime calls Lexa. It only takes a few rings for her to pick up. 

“Hey, babe!” Lexa is grinning, laying back on her bed.

“Hi, Lex. You get home okay?”

“Yep, me and Edna are home safe and happy. What's on your neck, babe? You okay?”

“Just an ice pack. You kinda tried to suck my soul out of my neck.” Clarke removes the ice pack, tilting her head to give Lexa a view of the red mark.

Lexa’s face slowly goes red as she struggles to form words. “Clarke, I- I’m so, so sorry. I don't even, um… I didn't mean to… dammit.”

“I'm not mad at you, Lexa. If that’s what you're worried about,” she says, returning the ice pack to its spot on her neck.

Lexa nods slowly. “Okay. Okay. I'm still really sorry, though. I bet your mom wasn't too happy about that? Oh my god, I bet that she hates me.”

Clarke shrugs. “Eh, she wasn't mad, actually. She really really likes you. Although she did give me a traumatizing speech about safe sex. Do you know what a dental dam is?”

“No?”

Clarke proceeds to tell her. Lexa proceeds to be horrified. “Oh my god, your mom talked to you about that? She literally talked to you about going down on me?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Like I said, completely traumatizing.”

They talk for a while longer before Clarke notices Lexa trying to hold back yawns. Her girlfriend is definitely not a night owl.

“Baby, you're tired. If you don’t go to bed soon you’ll screw up your perfect sleep schedule of whatever.”

Lexa smiles, trying to fight back another yawn. “I'm sorry. You're dating an eighty year old. I just wanna stay in and go to sleep at nine.”

“Don't be sorry. You're adorable. I'm going to let you go before you pass out, okay?”

Lexa nods and blows Clarke a kiss. Clarke returns the gesture, whispering another goodnight before she ends the call.

Clarke settles back onto her bed, sighing softly. A few moments later she hears a gentle knock on her door.

“Come on in, Dad,” Clarke says. Jake cracks the door open and slips inside. His daughter scoots over, creating room for him to sit on the bed.

“You left this downstairs,” Jake says, handing Clarke her fish. Abby said that you and Lexa went to the aquarium and got these.”

Clarke takes Harriet, settling the fish onto her lap. “Yeah. I saw them at the gift shop and they were just too cute not to get.”

“What did you name it?”

“Harriet. Lex named hers Edna.” Jake is the one who started the whole naming stuffed animals things. He made sure that each and every one of Clarke’s toys had their own individual names. Really, he just wanted his daughter to feel like she had friends when she was younger. He knows how hard it can be to be an only child with parents who work all the time.

“You two are good for each other, you know that?” Clarke leans into her father’s side. He wraps an arm around her shoulder, squeezing gently.

“I like her so much, Dad. She's just so smart and so nice and she supports me and she makes me feel like I can do anything.”

“I know, sweetie. Hey, you wanna know something?”

Clarke looks up at her father. “Hmm?”

“I know that she likes you a lot too. She looks at you like you've hung the moon and the stars. Like she’s cant believe that she’s lucky enough to be with you.”

Clarke rests her head on Jake’s shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispers, hugging him just a bit tighter.

They sit there for a few more minutes before Jake kisses the top of his daughter’s head. “Goodnight, kiddo. See you tomorrow.”

“Night, dad.”

Clarke curls up in bed, Harriet the fish wrapped tightly in her arms. Across the town, Lexa is doing the exact same thing. Both of the girls hug their fish tight, letting the happy memories of the day lull them to sleep.

—

Lexa stares out of the window, pouting while she pretends like she’s not pouting. Clarke watches from her bed, a small smile making its way onto her lips.

“Baby,” she begins. “Tell me what’s wrong.” Lexa heaves a long sigh, pushing away from the window. She collapses onto the bed, mumbling something that Clarke can't hear. “Speak up, Lex.”

Lexa raises her head from the blankets. “It's snowing.”

“Mhm, and?”

“And I hate the snow, Clarke. Everything is cold and bright and I can't go outside without freezing my ass off. And I love being outside.”

“I know, baby. How about… we gather up all of the blankets and pillows and make a nice little nest downstairs, and we can watch a movie and have some hot cocoa. Okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbles. Lexa helps Clarke strip the bed of blankets, which Clarke ends up piling into Lexa’s arms. Clarke takes the pillows.

Clarke grabs Harriet before they leave the room. She helps Lexa build a suitable blanket nest on the couch and Lexa cuddles up while Clarke goes to make some hot cocoa for the both of them.

She pours two mugs of it and drops a few marshmallows into each. She walks back into the living room and snuggles up next to Lexa. 

Lexa wraps the blankets around both of them while Clarke sets up her Netflix and scrolls through the movies.

They settle on some rom-com that that probably won't actually pay any attention to. Lexa practically crawls onto Clarke’s lap, curling up with her head on Clarke’s chest. 

Clarke chuckles, settling her chin on the top of her girlfriend's head. Lexa holds Harriet, absentmindedly running her fingers along the soft material.

About halfway into the movie, a purring cat jumps up onto the couch and lays next to the girls in the spot that Lexa was previously occupying.

Clarke is pretty sure that this is what her heaven looks like. Curled up with her girlfriend and her cat on a snowy day (she likes the snow, much to Lexa’s dismay) with a mug of hot cocoa is just about as perfect as Clarke can imagine. 

It doesn't take Lexa long to fall asleep. She had been ignoring the movie in favor of listening to Clarke’s soft, steady heartbeat and Coconut’s purrs.

Clarke strokes Lexa’s hair softly, smiling when Lexa snuggles closer to her. Her mind wanders and she can't help but imagine a lifetime of this with Lexa. Curled up close to each other, falling asleep and waking up together.

It feels right. It feels like they are right where they belong, like they're right where the universe intends them to be.

Clarke gently nudges Coconut until she gets the hint and moves to the end of the couch. Clarke slowly lays down on her side, pulling Lexa with her. She wraps her arm around Lexa’s waist, pulling her close.

Coconut is unhappy with her position far away from her owner and she jumps back over to the two girls, settling down in front of Lexa’s stomach.

Clarke smiles down at her girls, planting a kiss on Lexa’s neck. Coconut meows when Clarke reaches out to give her a pet.

She settles down, watching a bit more of the movie before she too slips into a comfortable sleep.

—

It's late when Jake and Abby return to the house, finding everything dark. They're quiet as they enter the house.

They find Clarke, Lexa, and the cat curled up together on the couch, Clarke’s Netflix homepage still on the television.

Abby shuts the television off and takes the mugs of cold cocoa to the kitchen. Jake takes a picture of their girls and sends it to Gustus Woods. 

He kisses both of them on the forehead and pulls their blanket up a bit higher. “Goodnight, girls,” he whispers.

Clarke tightens her arm around Lexa, sighing in her sleep. 

“They're adorable,” Abby whispers as she and Jake walk down the hall to their bedroom.

“Lexa’s a good kid. They're good for each other.”

“It's a shame Clarke didn't like her for so long. Did we ever figure out why that was?”

“Who knows?” Jake shrugs. “Women.”

Abby glares at him. “If the girls weren't already on the couch I'd tell you to go there.”

Jake just laughs.

—

“Clarke?”

“Lex?”

Lexa turns around, blinking sleepily. She wraps her arm around Clarke’s shoulder, pulling her closer.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” Clarke murmurs, closing her eyes.

Lexa tucks her head underneath Clarke’s chin, staying quiet for a few minutes. Until she murmurs Clarke’s name again.

“Yeah, baby?”

“I like you so much.”

“I like you too. Sleep now, Lex.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Clarke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's the chapter. If you liked this, please let me know by leaving a comment or kudos. Hey, if you hated it, still feel free to leave a comment. Criticism is how you grow. (Although, keep in mind that I write this on my phone, so there are likely to be odd mistakes. I apologize.) I'll be going to a wedding on Friday the 18th, which actually probably won't interfere with this story at all. Just know that I have never even met the people that are getting married and I am going to be surrounded by my very large, rather homophobic extended family (thank you Montana and North Dakota :))))))) ). And it's a nine hour drive, and I'm going to have to drive most of it. And I have literally like five hours of driving experience. And I might miss the new episode of Wynonna Earp. Let's just say that I'm not excited and I have no choice. Enough of my pity party, anyway. Thank you for reading. (and if you got this far, I'm sorry)


	5. Happy Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last tournament of the year features some trouble and help comes from an unexpected place. Then, the team's holiday party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suuuuuupppppppp ya'll. So I'm back home and to be honest it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Driving sucked but then again I hate sitting in cars for hours on end. They played a bunch of country music (ew) and the pianist screwed the wedding march up so that was an experience. I went to the zoo and I saw Lexa!!! pictures on my tumblr @memesdreamsandbeans. It's really weird how much easier to breathe it is down there. Like, I live more than a mile above sea level and it's 3,000+ miles lower in Bismark. It just felt easier to fill my lungs which is a really weird thing to say and this is the least interesting author's note I've ever written but whateves. Anyway hit up my tumblr. I post the occasional chapter sneak peak and stuff. Now read on and enjoy. (Also this chapter is shorter than usual. Sorry :( )

Chapter Five

“Okay, kids. This is the last tournament of the year before winter break. Let's make it count! Public Forum squad, I want to see you before you go to your rooms.”

Clarke and Lexa get off of the bus and grab their bags before they huddle around Kane. He leads Clarke and Lexa and the other Public Forum teams off to the side.

“Okay, I know that this is a hard topic, but I also know I have the brightest kids in the state right here. All of you practiced so hard and I know that you will try your hardest. Remember that winning isn't everything and I'm proud of you no matter how you do. Okay, that's all. Clarke, Lexa, stay back a minute.”

Clarke and Lexa hang back while the rest of the squad heads inside. “So what's up, Kane?” Lexa asks, slipping her arm around Clarke’s waist.

He looks between the two girls, smiling at the way the hold each other. “I want the two of you to think about running for captain for next year. Together. You make a fantastic team and I think that you could really be great captains. I know it comes down to a vote, but you two would have a fantastic shot.”

Clarke grins up at Lexa. “Aw, do you wanna be my co-captain?”

Lexa returns the grin, leaning down to press a quick, chaste kiss to Clarke’s lips. “I would love to be your co-captain, Clarke.”

Kane claps his hands together, grinning. “Fantastic. By the way, Anya is coming home for our holiday party.” He turns and walks into the hotel, leaving an ecstatic Lexa behind him.

“No way! Clarke, Anya’s coming home!”

“What, do I have some competition?” Clarke asks, huffing out a laugh.

“No, no, of course not. Anya is like the annoying big sister that I never had. It's because of her that you have such a fantastic partner. She taught me my winning strategies.”

“Baby, her winning strategies are looking so terrifying that the other team doesn't know what to do. She's literally known as ‘that scary bitch from Polis.’”

“I'm scary.”

“We've had this conversation before, Lex,” Clarke says as they walk into the hotel. “You're tiny and adorable.”

“Clarke, Lexa!” Jaha calls. “You two are with Harper and Zoe.” He hands them the key cards and they head to their room with the other girls.

It's really a nice change from the excitement that is brought by rooming with Raven and Octavia. Harper and Zoe are both really laid back and intelligent. They're just a year behind Clarke and Lexa.

They all get changed and together they go over their strategies for this topic. They discuss the different strategies until it’s time to go. 

Clarke snacks on a bag of roasted pumpkin seeds on the drive over to Broadleaf High. “Clarke, babe, we literally just had lunch.”

“I know. But these pumpkin seeds are really good and I'm a stress eater.” Clarke pops another handful of the seeds into her mouth, crunching on them.

Lexa wraps her arms around Clarke’s waist to being her closer. “Oh, babe. You're nervous.”

“‘Lil bit. Have a pumpkin seed,” Clarke says, holding the bag out. Lexa takes a seed because she worries that Clarke would be offended if she doesn't.

“Clarke, sweetie, we’re going to be okay. Hey, it's like Kane said earlier. I'm so proud of you no matter how well we do. We could lose out first five rounds and I would still be incredibly proud of you.”

Lexa gently takes the bag of seeds from Clarke’s hand, zipping it up. She stows it away Jan their bag. “I know. I know, but I'm still so nervous. What if i screw it all up and we don't even break? This topic is a bitch.”

“It is, Clarke, but that doesn't matter. I don't care about winning, not really. I care about doing this with you and having a good time.”

“Oh, baby, you're all about winning. The only person I know who’s more competitive than you is Anya.”

“Well, yeah, but then I started working with you and I realized that I can have a good time without winning. I can have a good time with you.”

Clarke sighs, nodding her head after a moment. “Okay. Okay, yeah, you're right. Let's go do this.”

—

Their first debate is rough, but the other team seems even more flustered and confused than Clarke and Lexa. Their second debate does much better and they're confident that they won that round.

They're sitting with the rest of the team, doing math homework. Well, Clarke is doing her homework and eating her pumpkin seeds, and Lexa is copying Clarke’s answers.

“Are you stress eating again or are you just hungry?” Lexa asks, stealing a few seeds.

Clarke shrugs. “Just hungry. I'm stressing much less now. Kinda hard to stress when I'm focusing on this shit.”

“You like math.”

“Doesn't mean it’s not completely shitty. I hate this section.”

“Yeah, me too. I hate every section, though, so…”

Clarke does a few more problems while Lexa plays FarmVille on her phone. Clarke looks over at her girlfriend after she finishes a particularly annoying word problem.

“Really, Lex? FarmVille?”

“It’s Tropic Escape, dick. It's not, like, the Facebook kind. It's fun, okay?”

“Whatever you say, Lex. Is that a dolphin?”

“Yes, and he catches fish.” Clarke shakes her head, snorting. “Hey, stop. Don't give me that look.”

“You're kind of adorable.”

Lexa closes her game out and locks her phone. “I know I am. I'm gonna see if I can track down Kane, if you're okay here by yourself?”

“Oh, yeah. I have Murphy, the life of the party, to keep me company. Isn't that right, John?” Murphy looks up from his phone, glaring slightly.

“He looks like he’s just ecstatic to have a conversation,” Lexa says, chuckling as she stands. “I'll see you soon, babe.”

“Bye, Lex. When you come back I'll have this assignment done and you can cheat off of the rest of it.”

Lexa grins, leaning down to press a quick kiss to Clarke’s lips. She pulls away and strides off in search of her coach.

Clarke doesn't try to hold a conversation with Murphy. She just focuses on her math assignment and when she finishes that, she pulls her phone out of her bag.

Surprisingly, Murphy is the one that engages a conversation. “Writing some fanfiction there, blondie?”

“Funny. No, I'm actually just reading some fanfiction. You know, Jaws has a surprisingly talented fandom.”

Murphy cracks a smile. He actually smiles. It's a pretty big change from his normal expressions, which include boredom, smugness, and disinterest.

“How long is it? Oh my god, is it Jaws smut?”

“You seem to know kind of a lot about fanfiction, Murphy. Is there something you want to tell me?”

He leans across the table. “I like to write Food Network fanfiction in my spare time. Ted Allen and Scott Conant have some real sexual tension.”

Clarke bursts out laughing. She’s very rarely talked to Murphy, even though they've known each other since the sixth grade. Clarke didn't expect how funny he can be.

“You'll have to send me a link. I'm sure that you’re an extremely successful fanfic writer.”

“I am. My 100,000 word Chopped epic is one of the most read pieces of Food Network fiction in the fandom. It's a slow burn between Scott and Ted, of course. Plenty of angst, plenty of food puns, mentions of Ted’s three cats.”

Clarke laughs again, typing ‘chopped fanfiction’ into her google search bar. There is… surprisingly a lot of Food Network fanfiction.

The conversation dies down after that and Clarke goes back to what she was actually doing- which is texting her father.

A shadow falls over the table and Clarke looks up to see who’s shown up. As soon as she sees who it is, she sighs.

Clarke locks her phone and sets it face-down on top of her math book. “What do you want this time?”

He sits down on the table’s bench, much too close for Clarke’s liking. He grins his disgustingly slimy grin. “Just wanted to say hi. The bitch isn't here to interrupt us again.”

“First of all, Lexa is not a bitch and you really need to stop calling her that. Second of all, Lexa didn't ‘interrupt’ us. I didn't want to talk to you. You were harassing me, like you are now.”

He scoffs, reaching out to grab Clarke’s phone. She makes a sound of disbelief and reaches out for it, but he holds it out of reach as he unlocks it. Clarke curses herself for not setting a passcode.

Clarke can see that he’s tapping on the phone app, presumably to get her number. She stands up to try and grab it again, but someone else beats her to it. 

Murphy stands up and rounds the table, staring Finn dead in the eyes. He grabs Finn’s wrist with one hand and wrenches Clarke’s phone away with the other.

“Clarke told you that she doesn't want to talk to her. Listen to the lady, Finn. And quit fucking insulting Lexa. She’s a better person that you will ever be and if you think for a minute that Clarke would leave her for you, you've never been more wrong about anything.”

They stare each other down for a few minutes before Murphy pushes at Finn’s shoulders. “Go!”

Finn narrows his eyes and clenches his jaw. He points an accusatory finger at Clarke. “I'm starting to think that Woods isn't the only bitch around here.”

“Good! Maybe you’ll start leaving me the fuck alone now.”

He stalks off, grumbling under his breath. Murphy turns to Clarke and holds her phone out, the hard look on his face softening.

“Are you okay, Clarke? Has he been bothering you?”

“Yeah, kinda. He just… he’s very insistent. And kinda creepy. And he said some really rude things about Lex.”

“I never liked that little punk bastard. You tell me if he starts being a bother again, okay? I know we haven't really talked much but you and Woods are cool with me.”

“Thank you, John. You're pretty cool too.”

He nods once, seeming satisfied that Finn has retreated. He returns to his seat and continues scrolling on his phone like nothing even happened.

Clarke also sits back down, but she’s still just a bit shaken up. She slides her hands down her face and huffs before digging into her backpack to look for something to do.

She ends up pulling out the book she had gotten with Lexa a few weeks back on their date. Clarke had put off reading it until the tournament, so she would have something to occupy herself with.

Lexa had already read hers more than once and raved about just how interesting it was. It filled Clarke with a sort of pride. She was happy that her girlfriend hadn't ended up completely hating it and the entire date. 

Speaking of Lexa, she comes walking back into the Broadleaf cafeteria just a few minutes later.

She drops next to Clarke, her arm immediately going around the blonde girl’s waist. She presses a sweet kiss to Clarke’s shoulder.

“Hi, babe. Did I miss any fun math happenings?”

Clarke immediately feels more relaxed and leans into Lexa’s side. “No, but Murphy and I discussed his secret passion for writing Food Network fanfiction. And, um… Finn dropped by.”

Lexa sits up, stiff as a board. She clenches her jaw, although Clarke knows it’s an expression of worry and not anger like it was when Finn did it.

“What?”

“Yeah. I dunno, he was being really creepy, but Murphy told him to back off. I'm fine, baby.” Clarke puts her hand on Lexa’s arm. Her hands are balled up in fists and she looks like she’s five seconds away from getting up to go find Finn.

“What was he doing? Are you sure you're okay? Do I need to go find him and punch all of his teeth in? Thank you, Murphy,” Lexa adds at the end, almost as an afterthought.

Clarke gently rubs Lexa’s arm, hoping that the motion is soothing. “Shh, Lexa, it’s alright. He just grabbed my phone and I think that he was trying to look at my number. Murphy just about crushed Finn’s wrist before he could get a look.”

Lexa still looked worried and pissed, but she loses some of the stiffness. “As long as you're okay.”

“I am, baby. He’s just a slimy little scumbag who no one really likes. I don't think that he’s really dangerous, but if he is this entire team is more than willing to put that bitch down.”

“Hmm. I know. And I know you can handle yourself, but I worry. Maybe you should come to one of my self defense classes some day.”

Clarke chuckles softly, an image forming in her mind. “You in workout clothes teaching me how to fight? I don't know, that doesn't sound too attractive.”

It makes Lexa grin, which Clarke takes as her calming down. “I'll be expecting you, Ms. Griffin.”

“Maybe we could have a private class, just the two of us. I imagine it would be more… hands-on.” Clarke wiggles her eyebrows along with the innuendo. 

“I think I like the sound of that. We could also have a talk about proper nutrition. I know you don't have a lot of time to cook, and you really eat out a lot.”

Clarke laughs, almost not believing that her girlfriend actually said that. “Okay, nice one. But, hey, I haven't eaten out yet. I'm waiting to do that so I can exploit the loophole in the bet out friends made.”

“By the way, are they really serious about that bet or are they just joking?” Lexa asks, looking genuinely confused. 

“We're talking about Octavia Blake and Raven Reyes. They have never once made a bet they weren't serious about.”

“Good to know, I guess.”

“Yeah, this one time in eighth grade Octavia bet Ray that she couldn't break into the high school’s chemistry lab and make something explode.”

Lexa raises an eyebrow, vaguely remembering hearing something about a girl getting in trouble for sneaking into the school and playing with chemicals. “And?”

“And she did it. She got in a shit ton of trouble and her family had to pay for the damages, but she did it.”

“What did she win?”

“Her first date with Octavia,” she snorts. “They went out on the edge of town and set off a bunch of firecrackers.”

“That's extremely fitting.”

“I know! And they've been happily together for almost four years now.”

“Is that why they like to break into the chem labs at every school we go to? Fond memories or some shit?”

“Probably,” Clarke shrugs. She slides her math binder over to Lexa, remembering her promise to let Lexa copy her answers. 

Lexa happily jots them down, writing out the work that Clarke did to complete them. “Thank you, babe.”

“I'm still surprised that you’re okay with this. Cheating off of me, I mean. You're such a good kid.”

Lexa closes both of their binders and slides Clarke’s back over. “I'd do almost anything to her out of doing this math.”

“What are you gonna do on the test when you can't cheat?” Clarke asks. She leans back into Lexa’s side, pleased to find that her body has relaxed.

Lexa’s arm goes around her waist again, rubbing circles into a patch of skin that is revealed where her shirt has come untucked from her skirt. “I'll figure that out later.”

“I'm sure you will, baby. Ugh, do you think I have time to take a quick power nap? I had a hard time falling asleep last night.”

Lexa furrows her brows, looking instantly concerned. “Oh, Clarke, how come?”

“No big deal, really. I was just restless. Couldn't get comfortable.” It took her quite a while to find sleep. She ended up having to find that worn hoodie that Lexa had forgotten in her room. Clarke slipped it on, letting herself be comforted by the scent of faint vanilla shampoo and strong woodsmoke that had come from the campfire she had started while out on a camping trip with Gustus.

She finally fell asleep with Harriet the goldfish tucked into her arms and Coconut curled up behind her knees. Clarke dreamt of Lexa and the sweet smile she gives Clarke right after they kiss.

Lexa’s hand moves from Clarke’s waist to her back, slipping her hand under Clarke’s shirt. She continues to rub soothing circles into her skin. “I'm sorry. We should go to bed early as we can tonight. You need your rest.”

“I'll sleep well with you there, I promise. You keep me warm and comfortable.”

Lexa smiles a shy, small smile. “You always do say that sleeping with me is like sleeping with a space heater.”

“It's true. You’re warm. Which isn't a bad thing, ‘cause I like being warm.”

Lexa chuckles and presses a long kiss to Clarke’s forehead. They cuddle there together until the postings for the third round are up.

The debate goes fine. Really, it’s boring. The opposing team uses a very basic case which is easy for Clarke and Lexa to tear apart.

They climb onto the bus and take a seat near the back. Lexa plugs her earbuds into her phone and they listen to Hozier. (Because Lexa is a gigantic dork and he’s her favorite artist.)

They get off the bus to grab some food from the store, Lexa very reluctantly turning her music off.

“Are you getting coconut water?” Clarke asks, looking down the aisle to her girlfriend. Lexa nods. “Can we share?”

“Of course. My coconut water is your coconut water. Can you grab me some of those pineapple things?”

“Yeah. Be right back,” Clarke says as she goes to find some of Lexa’s pineapple things. (Dried pineapple bits. They both refuse to call them by the right name.)

They meet back up near the front of the store, Clarke throwing the pineapple things into the basket.

“Thank you, babe. Are you ready to go?”

As they walk out of the store they see Raven and Octavia in the produce section, throwing grapes at each other.

“They're gonna get us kicked out somewhere.”

“They've gotten me kicked out of two different Walmarts.”

“I'm not surprised.”

—

Zoe and Harper went to go hang out with another girl on the team, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone in their room.

Lexa lays on the bed flipping through the television channels while Clarke shoves various drinks into the mini fridge.

“Hell yeah, Chopped is on,” Lexa mutters, dropping the remote onto the nightstand. Clarke has to stop herself from snorting.

She stands, closing the fridge door. “You're cute. Shove over now.”

“No, I'm comfortable.”

Clarke flops down on top of Lexa. She groans as the air is knocked out of her. Clarke smirks down at her girlfriend. “I told you to move, didn't I?”

“You're an asshole,” Lexa groans. She wraps her arms around Clarke anyway, holding her close. “But you're my asshole, so it’s okay.”

They share a kiss, both of them smiling against each other’s lips. Clarke rubs her thumb along Lexa’s jaw slowly while Lexa hugs her closer.

When they pull apart Clarke kisses the tip of Lexa’s nose, causing the brunette to sigh happily. “You're the cutest.”

“I thought I was an asshole.”

“Mm, you can be both. You're the cutest asshole I know.”

“I can't tell whether I should be flattered or not,” Clarke says, running her hands down Lexa’s arms.

Lexa shrugs. “Are you gonna be warm enough tonight?” Clarke had already found an extra blanket in the closet and she had draped it over the bed. She’s also wearing a thick sweatshirt and sleep pants. 

“Yeah. Are you gonna be too hot?” Lexa is wearing much less than Clarke. She only has a sports bra and shorts on and she’s already radiating heat. 

Lexa softly pushes Clarke off of her. She turns onto her side to face Clarke, who wraps her arm around Lexa’s waist, curling up into her.

“I'll be fine, cutie. You tired?” Clarke rubs Lexa’s back, shaking her head. They cuddle together, Clarke stroking Lexa’s bare skin.

Lexa falls asleep first and Clarke isn't far behind. She presses a sweet kiss to Lexa’s forehead just before she dozes off.

—

Nothing much exciting happens for the rest of the tournament. Clarke and Lexa make it to semifinals and place third. Really, it's a fantastic way to end the year.

They're both counting down the days until winter break starts. Midterms aren't exactly fun and they're both excited because they can stop studying. Plus, the team holiday party is coming up and that’s always a load of fun.

Finally, their exams end and they're free for the break. The party starts soon after school lets out for the day. It's held in Kane’s house, which is surprisingly spacious even though it's just Kane by himself there.

As soon as class is over, Clarke and Lexa meet up at Lexa’s truck. Lexa helps Clarke in and takes her backpack, putting both of them in the backseat.

“Who’d you get for the whole secret Santa thing, Clarke?”

“Isn't that defeating the purpose of a secret Santa?”

“That makes me think that you got me. Did you get me, babe?”

Clarke laughs, gently pushing at Lexa's shoulder. “No, baby. I got Murphy. I bought him a couple of seasons of Chopped on disk.”

“What? That's a fantastic gift. I'm kind of jealous.”

“It's just an inside joke, kinda. He was joking around and he said that he writes Chopped fanfiction. It'll never beat our Food Network dates.”

“Good. Do you remember which one is Kane’s house?”

Clarke points at a house. “I’d say the one that has four teenagers that we know standing in front of it.”

“Ah. Good point.” Lexa pulls into an empty space across from Kane’s house. They both grab their secret Santa presents and get out of the truck.

The door is propped open so they just walk in and walk into the living room. Kane spots them almost immediately and walks over to them, beaming.

“Girls, you made it. You can put your presents under the tree. Snacks are in the kitchen. Help yourself to anything.”

Kane is wearing one of his cheery Christmas sweaters and a reindeer antler headband. His house is completely decked out, Christmas lights strung up everywhere and snowflake cut outs hanging from the ceiling. He has a tree in one corner, decorated similarly. The girls leave their presents under the tree.

Clarke doesn't notice, but Lexa is very careful not to let her get a look at the tag on her present. She tucks it behind another present, nodding to herself.

They head to the kitchen after setting their presents down. Kane has a thermos of hot chocolate on his counter and Clarke pours them both a mug. She drops some marshmallows into hers and tops it off with whipped cream. Lexa looks on, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

“I can feel you judging me. My back is turned to you, Lexa, and I can feel you judging me.”

“I'm sorry! It's just a lot of sugar, Clarke.”

“Yeah, it's also Christmas. Come on, even you get less uptight about what you eat around Christmas. Have some goddamn marshmallows.”

Lexa sighs but lets Clarke drop a handful of marshmallows into her mug. She sips at it as Clarke leads her back to the living room.

They sit in front of the fireplace, Clarke between Lexa’s legs. She leans back into her girlfriend, closing her eyes as they listen to the Christmas music and the crackling of the fire.

They sit together, quietly telling stories about past Christmases with their families. Lexa gently runs her fingers through Clarke’s hair which is something that she knows Clarke loves.

They fall into a comfortable silence until they hear footsteps behind them. Then a familiar voice, tinged with amusement. “So this actually is a thing now? Lexa isn't just delusional?”

Lexa tips her head back to look up at the new arrival. A grin immediately grows on her face and she scrambles up off of the floor.

“Anya!” Lexa practically launches herself at the older girl, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

“Hi, kid. Good lord, did you get stronger? You're squeezing the life out of me.” Anya awkwardly pats Lexa’s back, never having been very fond of physical contact.

Lexa lets her go, her grin only growing. “Anya, I missed you so much. You look really good. I'm digging the jacket.”

“I missed you too. You're looking happy, Commander.”

Clarke finally pushes herself off of the floor so she can stand next to her excited girlfriend. She reaches for Lexa’s hand, lacing their fingers together immediately.

“I am happy.”

“Hmm. Hello, Clarke.”

“Hi, Anya.”

Anya stares at Clarke for a long moment before stepping forward with one finger pointed at Clarke. “Look, Lexa is like a little sister to me and she's one of the best people I've ever met. I swear to god, if you-“

Lexa cuts the older woman off with a sigh. “Anya, quit. You don't need to give Clarke the best friend talk, okay? I'm happy, she’s happy, everything is great.”

“Fine. But I will put you in the ground, Griffin.”

Clarke just smiles. “If I fuck up and hurt Lexa, I'll let you put me in the ground.” Anya nods, seeming pleased with that response.

They settle back onto the floor with Anya sitting across from them. She talks about her first two years in college. Lexa listens with rapt attention.

They've been talking for about half an hour when they hear commotion from the front of the house.

“Oh, Christ,” Anya mutters. “I should've expected those two jokers to make an entrance.”

The two jokers in question are, of course, Raven and Octavia. Raven bursts into the room with Christmas lights wrapped around her body.

“The life of the party has arrived, bitches. The fun has started.”

Octavia is dressed like a normal person but she is holding a Santa hat that has lights wrapped around it. 

Raven goes off into the kitchen, probably to eat half of the cookies that Kane had made. Octavia spots Clarke and walks over to her.

“Hey, Clarke, Lexa. Hey, Anya, you're back.” She sits next to Clarke, giving her a quick hug.

Clarke returns the hug, grinning at her friend. “Hey, O. Merry Christmas.”

“I see that you and the insane one haven't grown up at all,” Anya says, eyeing the light up Santa hat. 

“Not at all. How have you been, Anya? You look even bitchier than usual. I think it's the leather jacket.”

Anya smiles, nodding approvingly. “Good. Good. How is Raven?”

“She’s fine- oh, here she comes.” Raven appears back in the living room, both hands full of cookies. She drops down onto Octavia’s lap, shoving another cookie into her mouth.

“What up, scary bitch? Want a cookie?” Raven holds out a cookie to Anya.

Anya shrugs and takes a cookie. “Thank you, insane one.”

Anya turns back to Lexa and Clarke and continues the conversation where they left off. O and Raven stay for a while until they leave to go stuff more cookies into Octavia’s hat.

Kane walks into the living room, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. “Okay, kids, gather around. Everyone’s here now so we can start the secret Santa. Everyone find your present from under the tree.”

Lexa stands up, dropping a kiss onto the top of Clarke’s head. “I'll go find ours, babe.”

Clarke watches Lexa walk to the tree, smiling softly.

“God, the two of you are sickening,” Anya mutters.

Clarke looks back at her, still smiling. “You're not the first person who’s said that.”

Anya hesitates slightly. “She looks really happy, Clarke. So do you. You make a good couple.”

“Lex’ll be thrilled to hear that you approve.” They watch as Lexa pulls two presents out of the pile. She walks back and sits back down in her spot behind Clarke.

“Here’s your present, cutie,” Lexa says, handing Clarke a neatly wrapped box. She kisses Clarke’s shoulder softly as she does.

“Thank you, baby.” They both open up their presents. Lexa’s is a cute little mug in the shape of a raccoon. Despite her hatred for the whole raccoon joke, she really likes the mug. 

Clarke’s present is a sketch pad and a pack of nice colored pencils. She tilts her head to look back at Lexa. “Oh, baby, this is such a nice present.”

“Wha- no, how did you figure out I had you?” Lexa sputters, her face growing red. 

“You’re the only person besides my parents, Raven, and Octavia that know the brand of colored pencils I like. Plus, this wrapping paper was sitting on your kitchen table the last time I was over.”

“Well, crap. Guess I screwed up the game.”

“I don't care. I got my present early and I love it.”

“Oh no, you have another present. To open when it’s actually Christmas.”

“Lex,” Clarke chides. “You didn't have to get me two presents.”

“Well, I had already gotten your present when we got the secret Santa names. And I didn't want to give you the other present for this, so I just got another one.”

“God, Lexa, you're the best girlfriend. Thank you, baby.”

Lexa brings their lips together in a gentle, sweet kiss. “Of course,” she whispers as they part. “Anything for you.”

They stay at the party a while longer and they end up playing Candy Land with Raven and Octavia. Raven cheats (like usual) but Lexa still ends up winning. Clarke congratulates her with a kiss that tastes like chocolate and candy canes. Lexa loves it.

It gets late and people start to filter out. Lexa suggest they leave when she notices Clarke trying to hold off yawns.

They say goodbye to Anya and Lexa gives her a tight hug. Anya whispers something that Clarke can't hear into Lexa’s ear. Lexa nods, pulling back and smiling at Anya brightly.

“Call me, An. Let me know how you're doing.”

“I will, Commander. You take care of your girl, got it?”

Lexa laughs, pulling Anya in for one last hug.

They stop to say goodbye to Kane on their way out.

“We had a great time, Marcus. Thank you,” Lexa says.

“Have a merry Christmas, Kane,” Clarke says. 

He’s smiling at them, a soft, affectionate look in his eyes. “Thank you, girls. Have a safe and happy Christmas, okay? Don't get into too much trouble.”

Clarke steps forward and wraps her arms around Kane. Lexa joins in on the hug, squeezing him tight. Kane kisses the tops of their heads before he lets them go.

“I'm proud of you two. Drive safe, Lexa. I'll see you after the break.”

They wave at Kane before leaving, hand in hand.

“You have a good time, Clarke?”

“Mhm. It was cute seeing you so excited around Anya.”

Lexa chuckles. “Yeah. I missed her.”

“She told me that we make a good couple.”

“Really? That's surprising. That’s… that’s great, actually. I'm really happy about that.”

“I thought you would be.”

Clarke leans her head against the window, yawning. They drive in a comfortable silence until Lexa pulls up outside of Clarke’s house.

“Goodnight, Clarke. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

Clarke slides over to wrap her arms around Lexa. “Goodnight, baby. Happy holidays.”

“Happy holidays. I'll stop by soon and give you your actual present.”

“Okay. I'll give you yours, too.”

Lexa nods and kisses Clarke softly. They part and Clarke slides back over. “Okay. See you soon, baby.”

“Bye, Clarke.”

She waits and makes sure that Clarke is safely inside before she drives away. Lexa has a smile on her face the entire way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter over. Let me know what you think in the comments below my friends.


	6. The Christmas Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa gets sick, and Christmas rolls around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys this chapter is,,,,, so late. Like so late. And I completely apologize. I guess I had some trouble writing this chapter, and school has started up, which equals about five hours of homework a night. Thank you world history AP :)  
> Anyway this chapter is d u m b and short, so more apologies there. Really this is crap and im so tired and i lowkey want to drop out (Even though I'm not actually old enough to drop out?????? Whatever)  
> Pls enjoy the trash i am serving you

Chapter Six

Lexa gets sick two days before Christmas. Clarke calls her and when she picks up, her voice is hoarse and she sounds like she’s about to drop dead.

“Are you sure that you're okay, baby? I've literally never seen you get sick before.”

“I'm fine,” Lexa begins. She’s interrupted by another coughing fit. “I just… ugh, I just need to get some rest.”

“Do you want me to come over? I can bring you some soup and keep you company.”

Lexa hesitates for a moment, sniffling. Finally, she answers. “Yeah. I’d like that, Clarke.”

—

Clarke shows up at Lexa’s house thirty minutes later with a bag from The Hideout and a bottle of cold orange juice. 

She knocks at the door and Indra answers it. Clarke smiles, holding up the bag. “I brought soup.”

Indra ushers Clarke inside and directs Clarke to the kitchen. There are a few pill bottles sitting on the counter and Indra gives Clarke cold medicine.

“Make her take these. Maybe she’ll listen to you better. That girl is too stubborn for her own good.”

Clarke takes the medicine and her own cold supplies and heads up the stairs to Lexa’s room. She knocks on the door quietly before entering.

To be completely honest, Lexa looks like shit. Her skin is pale and Clarke can see a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. Wisps of hair stick to her forehead.

She tries to push herself up into a sitting position, but her arms are trembling and she just gives up and continues laying down.

Clarke sets the bag, the juice, and the medicine down on Lexa’s nightstand. She takes her coat off, draping it over the back of Lexa’s desk chair.

Clarke goes to sit beside Lexa on the bed, smiling softly down at her. She brushes the hair away from her forehead. Lexa’s skin is damp with sweat and it feels hot. She’s usually warmer than most, but this heat feels uncomfortable and stifling. 

“Hi, sweetie. You look really really bad.”

“Thanks, Clarke,” Lexa rasps. She tries to smile, but it looks more like a pained grimace. Clarke sighs, reaching over to grab the bag.

“I got you some chicken noodle soup from The Hideout. Do you think that you can eat a little bit?”

Lexa nods, sniffling again. “Yeah. Can you help me up?” Clarke helps Lexa sit up, supporting her when she suddenly feels dizzy.

Lexa holds her head for a while, wincing. Clarke can do nothing but furrow her eyebrows and rub Lexa’s shoulders gently.

“Are you okay, Lex?” She whispers. Lexa nods, letting her hands slide away from her face.

“Yeah. Yeah. Just felt a little… dizzy for a second there. I'm okay.”

Clarke reaches back over to the nightstand for the bottle of orange juice and the cold medicine that Lexa’s mother had given her.

“Take these, baby,” Clarke whispers, handing the pills over. Lexa looks at them with disgust, sighing dejectedly.

“Clarke,” she whimpers back. “I hate pills. I hate them. I don't wanna.”

Clarke opens the bottle of juice for her, handing it over. “You have to, sweetie. I'm sorry.” Lexa lets out another small whimper, her shoulders dropping.

She reluctantly chokes down the pills and she almost looks close to tears when she hands the bottle back. Lexa curls up into a ball, leaning heavily against Clarke’s side.

Clarke wraps her arms around Lexa, pulling her into her lap. Lexa lays her head on Clarke’s chest. Her breathing is shallow and uneven and Clarke’s chest aches at the sight.

“Are you hot, sweetie? When was the last time you took your temperature?”

Lexa shrugs, then points vaguely at the nightstand. Clarke looks over and finds a thermometer. 

She makes Lexa take her temperature, which she is also reluctant to do. Clarke takes the thermometer back, sighing when she sees the temperature.

“102.8 degrees. Do you wanna take your shirt off, baby?”

Lexa nods and lets Clarke strip her shirt off. She settles back into Clarke, sighing as the cool air in the room hits her flushed skin.

“Lex?” Clarke whispers. She waits for Lexa’s small nod before continuing. “When’d you start feeling sick?”

“Just woke up this morning and felt like shit.”

Clarke nods. Lexa is still for a moment before a coughing fit hits. Her body shakes as she coughs and when it’s over, her breathing is ragged and even more uneven than before.

Clarke rocks her slowly, stroking her hair. Lexa’s breathing returns to something that sounds almost normal after a while. Clarke is relieved.

“Clarke? You prob’ly shouldn't be holding me. I'm gross and sweaty. And you could get sick.”

“You’re miserable, Lex. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to make you feel better. And if that means I have to hold you when you're gross and sweaty, that's what I'll do.”

Lexa closes her eyes, clutching onto Clarke’s shirt. “Okay. Can I take a nap?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Clarke murmurs, laying back. It doesn't take long for Lexa to pass out. She clutches onto Clarke as she sleeps. Clarke presses a kiss to Lexa’s forehead, murmuring, “I’m here, baby.”

—

Lexa wakes up about two hours later, feeling worse than she did before.

She groans softly, which brings Clarke out of the light sleep she was in. “Lex?” She mumbles, tightening her arms around Lexa.

“Head feels like someone filled it with rocks. Clarke, hurts,” she whines.

Clarke softly strokes Lexa’s temples. “I know. Do you need more medicine?” Lexa quickly protests, shaking her head adamantly. “Okay, okay. Do you want a drink?”

Clarke doesn't even wait for an answer before she leans over to grab the juice. She makes Lexa sit up just enough and she watches as Lexa drains half of the bottle. 

Lexa feels slightly better now that her mouth and throat don't feel like a desert. Clarke makes her sit up fully so she can eat something.

The soup is still warm, but not hot. She feeds it to Lexa, who thankfully looks only a little bit annoyed. In any other circumstance she would insist that she could feed herself.

She eats about half the soup and the packets of crackers. Clarke lets her lay back down after she eats.

She’s facing away from Clarke, her head in her lap. She’s fiddling with hem of her blanket, staring off into space. 

“What's going on in that head of yours, Lex? I can feel you thinking.”

“I'm just really happy you're here for me. You're the best girlfriend. You don't need to be taking care of me but you're still here.”

Clarke smiles down at the girl in her lap. “I'm always here for you. I'm taking care of you because… because I love you, Lexa.”

Sure, Clarke didn't imagine her first time saying those words to be when Lexa is laying sick and exhausted in her arms, but the words are still very true. 

Lexa turns onto her back so she can look up at Clarke. Her eyes are wide and a smile slowly grows on her face. “Clarke… Oh, I love you too.”

“I’d kiss you right now, but…”

“That’d be gross. Let's not ruin the moment with my germs.”

Clarke chuckles and leans down to kiss Lexa anyway. Lexa smiles, pushing Clarke away by her shoulders.

“M’kay, that was gross. I'm not kissing you again until you're better.”

“Good plan. Ugh, babe, can I go back to sleep?”

“Yeah, sweetie. I'll be here when you wake up again.”

—

WHAT TEAM??

Clorke_Graffin (3:32 PM)- guys did any of you go to elementary school with Lexa?

Clorke_Graffin (3:33 PM)- or know her in middle school?

Mighty-Murphin-Power-Rangers (3:36 PM)- I went to elementary with her why

Clorke_Graffin (3:37 PM)- Have you ever seen her get sick??

Mighty-Murphin-Power-Rangers (3:40 PM)- one time in like fifth grade she had the flu or something and missed like two and a half weeks of school. Other than that she’s weirdly healthy. Never even a sniffle

RayCray (3:41 PM)- Is Heart-eyes sick??????

Clorke_Graffin (3:43 PM)- yeah, poor girl :( it's pretty bad. She’s asleep now but she was miserable with a capital miserable earlier.

Clorke_Graffin sent an attachment (3:44 PM)- [sleepy-sick-Lex.jpeg]

RayCray (3:45 PM)- Wow no offense but your girl looks like death had sex with a Dementor and she's their love child

Octo-BLAKE (3:46 PM)- Ray that's kinda rude. But also kinda true. She looks bad. :(( tell her get well soon from me.

Clorke_Graffin (3:48 PM)- thanks O. I'm gonna go until she wakes up again. Ttyl guys

—  
A light tap comes at the door roughly an hour after Clarke puts her phone away.

“Come in,” she says quietly, not wanting to wake Lexa by being too loud. The door cracks open and Gustus steps inside. He rubs at his chin, sighing as he gazes at his daughter. 

Clarke can feel the bed dip as he sits next to her. He gently runs a hand over Lexa’s flushed cheek.

“She very rarely gets sick. When she does it is so painful. I hate seeing her so miserable.”

Clarke slides her hand through Lexa’s hair. “I don't like it either, Mr. Woods. I just hope I'm making her feel a little bit better.”

Gustus slides an arm across Clarke’s shoulders and she happily leans into the large man’s side. “You are. She’s always speaking about you, Clarke. You've stolen my little girl’s heart.”

Clarke leans her head against Gus’s shoulder, still staring down at her sleeping girlfriend. “She’s stolen mine too. I just love her so much and I want her pain to go away, but I feel like I can't do anything.”

“I know,” he whispers, tightening his arm around Clarke. “Did you get her to take her medicine?”

“Yeah,” Clarke says, nodding. “She looked like she was about to cry, but she took it. God, I felt so bad.”

“She hates medicine with a passion. I don't know why, she just always has.”

Lexa shifts slightly before opening her eyes to peer up at Clarke and her father. “I can hear the two of you talking about me,” she says, her voice still low and rough.

“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Clarke brushes her fingers across Lexa’s forehead lightly.

“Like crap.”

“Is it time for more medicine?” Gustus asks, anticipating the whining that will inevitably come from his daughter.

And it does. She whines softly and shakes her head, turning so she can press her face into Clarke’s stomach.

“No,” she says, muffled and quiet. “I'm fine.”

“I think it’s time for more medicine,” Clarke says, stroking Lexa’s hair in an attempt to calm her down.

Lexa whines again, clutching tightly to Clarke. She stays silent for all of three minute before heaving a sigh and mumbling, “Fine.”

Gustus leaves the room to go get Lexa’s medicine. She glances up at Clarke, pouting.

“Are you just gonna pout at me? Not gonna say anything?” Lexa shakes her head, still pouting. “Okay, baby. I know you don't like taking medicine but you have to if you wanna get better.”

Lexa mumbles something unintelligible. “What was that, Lex?” Clarke asks, leaning closer to Lexa.

“I said that I never gave you your present. I was going to today but then my body decided to be an asshole. It's in the top right drawer in my desk.”

Clarke slides out from under Lexa and walks to her desk. She opens the drawer, finding a little box neatly wrapped. 

Clarke returns to the bed and sits back down. Lexa immediately lays her head back into Clarke’s lap.

“Do I get a hint?”

“Nuh uh.”

“Please?”

“No, it'll ruin the surprise. No hints.”

Clarke places the present on the nightstand so her hands are free to run up and down Lexa’s back. “Fine. No hints.”

Gustus reappears a moment later and hands Clarke the cold medicine. He flees the room, stating “You can deal with that.”

They go through the whole process again. Lexa refuses to take it, shaking her head and whining softly. Clarke has to press soft kisses against the top of Lexa’s head and rub her back to coax her to finally take the pills. She does, gulping down orange juice to help.

She settles back into Clarke with a heavy sigh. She holds Lexa and they talk quietly about nothing in particular. Lexa eventually drifts back into sleep, exhausted due to her body trying to get better. Clarke kisses the top of her head once again and extracts herself from Lexa’s grip. She lays Lexa down gently, pulling a thin blanket over her.

She sits at Lexa’s desk, finding a blank notebook and a pencil.

—

Clarke alternates between her drawing and typing out responses in the team group chat. She gives an update and a few other members of the team send get well soon wishes.

She hears a sleepy mumble from Lexa and she looks up from her page. Lexa turns slightly and Clarke can see her face clearly now. Her mouth is slightly open and despite how much sleep she’s been getting, there are dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is messy and tangled, splayed out across the pillows. 

Despite that, she’s still the most beautiful person that Clarke has ever met. She looks at Lexa with deep affection and love, and she knows that her feelings are reciprocated. 

Lexa murmurs again before slowly blinking her eyes open. She blearily looks around the room, squinting.

“Clarke?”

She sets the notebook down and goes to kneel next to Lexa’s bed. She places one hand on Lexa’s forehead, pleased to find her cooler than before.

“I'm right here, baby. I'm right here.” Clarke slides her hand down to cup Lexa’s cheek. 

Lexa hums softly, nuzzling into Clarke’s hand. Her nose brushes lightly against Clarke’s palm as she shifts.

“You smell nice,” Lexa says, her voice still thick with sleep. 

Clarke chuckles, watching as Lexa’s eyes drift shut again. “Thank you. Are you going back to sleep?”

“No. What were you doing?”

“Just drawing. Do you need me to bring you anything?”

Lexa shakes her head, then hesitates. “I'm sorry, Clarke.”

Clarke scoffs, brushing her fingers through Lexa’s hair. “What exactly are you apologizing for?”

“You should be with your family, not taking care of your sick girlfriend.”

“If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. Hey, I wanted to just hang out with you today anyway. And if you want me to, I'll be back tomorrow.”

Lexa nods slightly, her gaze darting away from Clarke. Clarke crawls into the bed, throwing her arm around Lexa's waist. She presses a kiss to Lexa’s temple, earning a shy smile from her.

“Okay,” Lexa murmurs, pulling Clarke closer to her. “Okay. Tomorrow. Hey, can you… can you bring that butternut squash soup that The Hideout has?”

“Absolutely. Anything for my baby. I'll also bring your present by. I think you'll get a kick out of it.”

“Mm. Is it better than Chopped on disk?”

“I think so. You can wear it.”

“You can wear my present too,” Lexa says quietly, nestling her face into the space between Clarke’s shoulder and her neck.

Clarke grins triumphantly. “I got a hint from you.”

“Dammit.”

—

Lexa is dead asleep when Clarke walks into her room the next day. Benji is curled up down by Lexa’s legs and he lifts his head to glance at Clarke.

Her hair is covering her face and she's hugging a pillow tight to her chest. Clarke hangs her coat on the back of Lexa’s desk chair again before kneeling by the side of the bed.

“Hi, buddy. Our girl isn't doing too hot, huh?” She whispers, stroking Benji softly. He whines in response, pushing his head firmly into Clarke’s hand.

“Yeah,” she murmurs, rubbing the dog’s ears. “I'm talking to my girlfriend’s dog. Fantastic.”

He stands and hops out of the bed so he can properly greet Clarke. She sits back, letting Benji clamber into her lap. 

He licks Clarke’s face, which succeeds in making her laugh. She pushes the dog’s face away from her own, wiping the dog spit from her face.

“Nice, Benji. Usually I only let Lexa slobber all over my face, but I guess you can be an exception.”

“I do not slobber,” Lexa murmurs, peering over the side of her bed. Clarke jumps slightly, unaware that Lexa had woken up. 

“That's up for debate.”

“Fuck you.”

“You would, Lexa.”

“That's up for debate,” Lexa repeats, a teasing smile playing on her lips. Clarke gently pushes Benji off of her lap so she can sit on the bed next to Lexa.

“It is very much not up for debate,” Clarke says, pressing a loving kiss to Lexa’s temple. “I’d fuck you anytime. Well, maybe not right now. I'd fuck you almost anytime.”

Lexa chuckles as she sits up with Clarke’s help. “Well, the feeling is mutual. I'm glad you're here, Clarke.”

“There's nowhere I would rather be. I brought you that soup. And… medicine. You want to eat first or take the pills first?”

Lexa’s expression changes from joy to despair before Clarke even finishes her sentence. “Ugh, gross. Can I eat first?”

“Of course you can. Here…” Clarke grabs the soup and hands it to Lexa, along with a spoon.

Benji watches closely as Lexa eats, expecting some sort of handout. Clarke pats his head, grinning.

“Silly puppy. You can't have any, I'm sorry,” she says, which Benji obviously doesn't understand. He whines, looking at Lexa pleadingly.

“No, Benjamin. Go lay down,” she says, pointing to his bed in the corner. He huffs, but follows orders. “I swear, that dog is a bottomless pit.”

Lexa finishes her soup and sets the styrofoam container down on the bedside table. Clarke holds her arms open and Lexa happily snuggles into her.

Clarke kisses the top of Lexa’s head, wrapping her arms securely around Lexa. “You seem like you're feeling better today.”

“A bit. I took a bath earlier and that cooled me off. Mom shoved medicine down my throat this morning.”

“Good for her. Why do you hate taking medicine so much?”

“It's disgusting and it makes me feel bad,” Lexa whines. Clarke rolls her eyes, softly running her fingers through Lexa’s hair.

“You're a big baby.”

“I'm your big baby,” Lexa murmurs, nestling her head against Clarke’s shoulder. She kisses Clarke’s neck lightly.

“That's true. You wanna lay down?”

“Only if you lay down with me.” Clarke does, pulling Lexa with her as she lays back on the bed.

“Blankets?” Clarke asks when Lexa shivers. She nods, so Clarke pulls a thick blanket over them. 

They lay quietly together, Lexa drifting towards sleep as Clarke slides her fingers thorough Lexa’s curls. 

Clarke is pretty sure that Lexa is asleep until she mumbles something into Clarke’s neck. Clarke pulls away slightly so she can hear what Lexa’s saying. “What was that, baby?”

“Why don't pandas have friends?” She mumbles again with a heavy sigh. Clarke stares at her blankly. 

“Baby? You alright?”

“I just- I just think it's so unfair that pandas don't have friends.” Clarke waves her hand in front of Lexa’s face, getting no reaction.

“Are you… talking in your sleep?”

“Zebras get to have friends. Those assholes.”

“Yeah, zebras are real dicks,” Clarke says, trying to hold back a laugh. This is certainly a side of Lexa that she's never seen before.

“Thank you!” Lexa says, raising her voice above a mumble. “Finally someone who agrees with me.”

Clarke taps her fingers lightly against Lexa’s shoulder. “How could anyone argue with something that is obviously true?”

Lexa doesn't respond this time, she just shifts slightly and sinks into a deeper sleep.

—

WHAT TEAM??

Clorke_Graffin_ (2:19 PM)- LOOOOOOOLLLLL GUYS

Clorke_Graffin_ (2:20 PM)- LEXA TALKS IN HER FKING SLEEP

RayCray (2:20 PM)- WHAT?!!!!!! WHATS SHE SAYING

Clorke_Graffin_ (2:22 PM)- SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW UNFAIR IT IS THAT ZEBRAS HAVE FRIENDS AND PANDAS DONT

Octo-BLAKE (2:23 PM)- HOW HIGH IS SHE

Harpsichord (2:24 PM)- you guys do realize that Lexa is in this group chat?

Clorke_Graffin_ (2:24 PM)- shit

Octo-BLAKE (2:24 PM)- double shit

RayCray (2:25 PM)- wait wait

RayCray has removed LEXTRA from WHAT TEAM??

RayCray (2:26 PM)- there

Clorke_Graffin_ (2:27 PM)- she'll wonder why you removed her

RayCray (2:27 PM)- WHO CARES LETS TALK ABOUT THE PANDAS

—

Clarke is playing with Benji when Lexa wakes up, around two hours later. She smiles, watching as her girlfriend tosses a little foam football at her dog. 

Benji catches it in his jaws easily. He drops the ball, nudging it back towards Clarke with his nose. She reaches forward to grab it and they repeat the process.

Lexa takes a moment to grab her phone and scroll through her notifications. Her brow furrows as she tries to scroll through the team group chat.

“Clarke?”

She looks up, a smile forming on her face as she looks at her girlfriend. She stands, leaving Benji to chew on the football.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hi. Why did Raven remove me from the chat?”

Clarke smiles her most charming smile. “Well, funny story, actually. Did you know that you talk in your sleep?”

Lexa scoffs slightly, crossing her arms. “I do not talk in my sleep.”

“Yeah, baby, you kinda did. You were talking about how pandas don't have friends and zebras are assholes.”

“Why would I ever say anything like that? Besides, that doesn't explain why she removed me.”

“You don't like zebras, that's why. And, um, Raven removed you so we could make fun of your strange sleep habits.”

Lexa mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “assholes.” She glares at Clarke, pointing to the phone.

“Add me back.” 

—

WHAT TEAM??

Clorke_Graffin_ has added LEXTRA to WHAT TEAM??

LEXTRA (4:18 PM)- all of you are assholes

RayCray (4:19 PM)- Zebras, huh?

LEXTRA (4:20 PM)- fuck you

—

“She's never going to let this go,” Clarke says, reading over Lexa’s shoulder.

“I'm aware,” Lexa replies, her tone dry as she locks her phone and tosses it to the end of the bed.

“Baby, it was really cute. You seemed really passionate about the whole panda thing. And really passionate about insulting zebras.”

“Yeah, well, fuck zebras.” Clarke chuckles, wrapping her girlfriend up in a hug. 

“I'm so lucky that you're mine. Are you feeling any better?” She presses one hand against Lexa’s forehead. She isn't absolutely burning up, which is a very good thing.

Lexa nods, humming softly. “Yeah. You make me feel better.”

“Good. Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“I'm excited to see what you got me,” she says, pouting over her shoulder at Clarke.

Clarke shakes her head, covering Lexa’s face with her hands. “Nuh-uh. If I don't get a hint, you don't get a hint.”

Lexa whines, slumping back against Clarke. Clarke laughs, pressing a kiss to the top of her girlfriend’s head.

“Tomorrow, baby.”

—

It's late the next day when the girls get a chance to talk to each other. Clarke is curled up on the couch with Coconut. Her parents had gone to bed just a while earlier, both of them kissing Clarke’s forehead and telling her not to stay up too late.

Of course, she plans to stay up late on FaceTime with Lexa. She calls her, and Lexa picks up quickly.

“Hi, baby,” Clarke says, grinning at Lexa. Lexa returns her smile. She’s sitting on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“Hi, cutie. How was your Christmas?”

“I had a really good time. Have you opened your present yet?”

“No, I wanted to open it with you. Have you?”

“No. I wanted to do the same,” Clarke says. “One sec, I'm gonna go grab it.” She quickly goes to her room to grab the present from Lexa.

She returns to the couch, grabbing her phone. “I'm back.”

“Coconut kept me company,” Lexa says, chucking. “She was smacking your phone and meowing up a storm.”

Clarke looks over at her cat, who is purring innocently. “I'm not surprised.”

Lexa grins. “Open up your present. I hope you like it.”

“I’d like anything that you give me,” Clarke says, beginning to peel the wrapping paper off of the little box. Lexa launches into an explanation as soon as Clarke opens it.

“I took yours. And I just kinda never gave it back, so I got you a new one. I dunno, it's probably pretty stupid.”

Clarke gently lifts the bracelet out of the box, a smile growing on her lips. “Oh, baby. It's not stupid, it's super sweet.”

It's a simple braided leather bracelet, just like the one that Lexa had taken (stolen) from Clarke a few months back.

“We, uh, both have one now. Matching.”

“You are the absolute cutest. Jeez, what I got you isn't nearly as sentimental.”

Lexa chuckles, looking down at the box in her lap. “I'm sure I'll love it anyway.”

Clarke watches as she unwraps the present and takes the top off of the box. She stares at it for a moment before breaking out into laughter.

“Oh my god! You got me a Slytherin tie?” She holds the green and silver tie up, looking at it with a wide grin.

“Of course. It's perfect for you.”

“I completely agree. I'll wear it at the next tournament.”

“I'm looking forward to it. You'll look absolutely fantastic.”

“Oh, I know. Speaking of that, you look so good right now.”

Clarke pulls at the sleeve of her Christmas sweater, which has Rudolph the reindeer on it, complete with the shiny nose.

“Why, thank you. You also look fantastic.”

“I'm wearing a blanket. And nothing else.”

“That's the point. You're a hottie with a body.”

“You're a fourteen year old boy.”

“Which is unfortunate, seeing as you're a lesbian and I love you.”

Lexa laughs, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I love you too, even if you're totally immature and stuff.”

They talk for a while longer, about what other presents they got. Lexa talks about how she got a Lego set for Aden and they spent half the afternoon putting it together.

“Hey, what are you doing for New Year’s?”

“Nothing. Mom and Dad think that it’s pretty dumb so we never do anything.”

“You should come over to my place. Experience a true Griffin New Year’s party,” Clarke says.

Lexa raises her eyebrows. “Oh yeah? And what’s a true Griffin New Year’s party like?”

Clarke shrugs. “My parents have a bunch of their friends over. They drink and play poker while we hide in my room and play with Coconut.”

“Sounds like a good time. I'll be there.”

“Good. I should probably let you go. You're still sick, you gotta get as much rest as you can.”

As if proving her point, Lexa yawns. “Okay. I love you, Clarke.”

“I love you too, Lex. I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

As usual, the girls blow kisses to each other before hanging up. Clarke stares into the fireplace, distractedly scratching behind her cat’s ears. 

Across the town, Lexa hugs a pillow to her chest, staring at the picture of Clarke that she keeps on her nightstand. She falls asleep with a smile on her face and love in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you I'm sure this made you suffer, again, I'm sorry. Drop a comment and tell me how terrible this chapter really is


End file.
